The traditions of Holmenkollen

A new silhouette that reaches up to the sky for the famous ski jump tower in Oslo, the indisputable capital of this winter sporting discipline.

The reconstruction of the ski jump tower on the well-known Holmenkollen hill in the Norwegian capital, is currently underway and will be completed next year (expected completion date is February/March 2010) and certainly in time to host the 2011 Nordic World Ski Championships, between February 24th and March 6th 2011.

The hill at Holmenkollen is an important landmark for the identity of the city of Oslo. It is interesting to make some general references to its history; this long history of this sports structure began in 1892 and it is probably the oldest ski jump tower in existence in the world. Since then, it has been the venue of numerous important competitions and its structure has been subjected to numerous modifications; over the years, it has been updated in time with the new sporting technologies, refreshing its image to present something new and original, to enhance the performance of the ski jumpers, increase the spectator capacity and improve the general safety standards of the structure.

To date, the ski jumping tower on Holmenkollen hill has been renewed and partially reconstructed 18 times, the last time in 1992 to mark its centenary. The Holmenkollen tower was the main arena for the Winter Olympic Games of 1952 and for four previous editions of the Nordic World Ski Championships which were held in Oslo in 1930,1966, 1982 and 1997. It is an important reference point for Norwegian skiing traditions, a national and international symbol for the ski jumping discipline in primis and for skiing competitions in general: the competitions attract thousands of spectators who contribute to creating a unique atmosphere in the city.
The records are extremely impressive; on this jump, the record jump in the Men’s competition is 136 meters (25/1/2006, the Norwegian Tommy Ingebrigtsen) and the Women’s competition the record stands at 128 meters (Anette Sagen, on 12/3/2006). When the new ski jump tower is operational, the athletes will reach a ground speed of 90 km/hour…

To achieve better understanding of the qualities of the new project in progress, we will make a brief comparison to the previous one that was demolished to make way for the new building site: the tower was 60 meters high and located 417 meters above sea level. The new tower will rise up 58 meters on the Oslo skyline, from the cement base to the top. The entire structure measures 77.65 meters with almost 20 meters below ground. This new tower is located at an altitude of 423 meters above sea level.
Parts of the old structures have been included in the contours of the hill, the element that is the core feature of the entire construction.

The new structure has been constructed in steel and cement, it is anchored to the ground and rises upwards with enormous metal girders. When viewed at a distance, it appears as a white tapering shape with soft curves, which appears to stretch further into the sky thanks to the light beam that illuminates the darkness. The sharp outline reflects the shape of the protective wind-break and it terminates above with a simple clean cut; here at the top, we find the starting gate for the competitions, and immediately above this, at the very top of the construction, a large outdoor terrazzo. As with previous structures, when the tower is not being used for competitions, the tower will be open to visitors who will be able to enjoy the exceptional views over the city of Oslo and its magnificent fjord. This terrazzo can be accessed by an elevator that starts on the hill and rises up to the top of the building, gliding past the starting gate for the competitions.

The concept for the project,designed by Julien de Smedt of the Belgian/Danish studio, winner of the design competition, is based on three visual layers: the panorama in the distance, a close-up vision at the bottom of the run, the view from the top of the launch platform. The shapes and the equipment were all included in relation to the structure’s vision/use/life possibilities.
Viewed from the side, the facing is perceived as a single continuous strip, a white ribbon that starts from the top of the run, continues along the landing bay to enclose the large arena and the spectator terraces. This line represents the two-dimensional movement of the project but is also an extremely important three-dimensional structure as it forms an effective, and highly-functional wind-break.

The surfaces are a combination of transparent, translucent and opaque zones which project a different appearance depending on the time of day. Even in the dark, the ski jump tower adds a wonderfully suggestive effect created by the combination of glass and structure as the upper portions of the tower are illuminated from the inside.
At the base of the ski jump tower, the entrance lobby and a corridor that leads to the existing Ski Museum, a public facility that illustrates the natural historical vocation to Winter sports intrinsic to this Nordic population.