The Bludenz bobsleigh and luge track was put into operation on February 19, 2021. The BERNARD Gruppe provided the preliminary, tender und execution design for this technically demanding construction project. The first test runs by Austria’s national luge team have already taken place, and they went well.
Eiskanal Bludenz GmbH built a new modern sports facility on the site of the previous toboggan run. In this project, a new type of construction was used. Unlike in conventional artificial ice rinks, in Bludenz a slender shaping precast concrete element, which was equipped with a fine cooling pipe network, was used and embedded in a load-bearing in-situ concrete layer.
The initial idea of the new construction method was developed by Forschungszentrum Schnee, Ski und Alpinsport GmbH, an alpine sports research center, together with the Austrian Luge Federation (ÖRV). In close coordination with the ÖRV and the research center, the BERNARD Gruppe built a true-to-scale prototype to be used for the design, and carried out a 1:1 test. On the basis of the knowledge gained from the test, the BERNARD Gruppe prepared the preliminary, tender und execution designs.
A special feature of the ice channel is the 150 m long straight section before the final bend, on which material tests can be carried out. In total, the ice channel is 700 meters long and designed for maximum speeds of up to 100 km/h.
Albert Ausserlechner, BERNARD Gruppe
(Photo: Eiskanal Bludenz GmbH, Austria)
