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Budapest’s City Park Ice-Skating Rink Renovation By Penetron
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| Feb 29, 2012 |
Central Europe’s biggest ice-skating rink located in Budapest’s City Park (Városliget) is a tradition for ice-skating enthusiasts ever since its creation in the first half of the 19th century. It’s long history started with the formation of the Pest Ice-skating Association in 1869 and a tiny wooden structure for warming and changing. Since then the success story of the extremely popular rink was continued by hosting various events including the first ice-skating competition in 1870. The unification of the two parts of the city (Buda and Pest) resulted in yet another boost in the rink’s popularity and a new wooden pavilion was constructed, which was later expanded and rebuilt after damages occurred during World War II.
In 2010 the deputy mayor of Budapest announced that the ice-skating rink in City Park will be renovated for a total amount of EUR 17.6 million. The project included the renovation of the 16’800 square meter ice-rink and the reception building as well as one unrestored wing of the old building that was destroyed during the war. Further the renovation should also boost the number of annual visitors to the rink from 380’000 to 460’000.
While the rink will accommodate ice-skaters and skating events such as the European Speed Skating Championship in 2012 during the winter months, it will be converted into a lake in summer including boat rides, festivals and other events held on a stage built on the water.
The extreme temperature differences (winter/summer, day/night) and the presence of water in direct contact with concrete posed the main challenge for the project and was a key concern for the contractor renovating the iconic ice-rink. In order to protect the sensitive electric wiring and switching cabinets, decision was taken to waterproof and protect 4’000 cubic meters of concrete of the public utility tunnels that would be exposed to about 1 meter of water level on the lake side and 2.5-3.0 meters of ground water from the soil side with a third-generation crystalline concrete admixture, i.e. Penetron Admix.
The main concerns of the contractor in charge of the renovation could be addressed with Penetron Admix. Hairline cracks that had developed during concrete hydration completely sealed within days after ponding the slab, to the complete satisfaction of the project management. After the completion of the renovation project, the enhanced, durable concrete structure ensures the integrity of Budapests’ City Park centrepiece for many years to come and allows the city to continue its tradition as one of the ice-skating centres of Europe.
About Penetron
Penetron International is a leading manufacturer of integral crystalline capillary systems for waterproofing, repairing and protecting concrete. Penetron has been serving the design and construction industry for almost 30 years with sound technical support and performance products engineered to meet the highest manufacturing and environmental standards.
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