New World Class Ice-Rink in Melbourne Picks Foamular as Insulation Under the Ice
The National Ice Sports Centre (NISC) is currently under construction in Docklands, Melbourne. In September Austech delivered 7,200 m2 of 50mm thick Foamular to the site to help with the enormous task of insulating the building.
The ice rink is scheduled to open in 2010, providing Australians with a world class ice sports centre which is dedicated to improving Australians accomplishments in the Winter Olympics for decades to come.
The National Ice Sports Centre will be an Australian first. This innovative centre features two rinks catering for the sporting elite and ice recreation enthusiasts. Located in Melbourne’s Docklands, next to the Southern Star Observation Wheel and Harbour Town Shopping Centre, the ice rink is also set to be the new home of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.
Sustainability and energy efficiency was a big issue in this $58 million project. Two sheets of 50mm Foamular specified for the ice rink gives an R-value of R3.57. Foamular is guaranteed to maintain at least 90% of its thermal rating for 20 years, helping make this a sustainable project with a long life span.
Foamular has already been used successfully in ice rinks around the world, but its ability to handle extreme cold and moisture has seen it used extensively in cool-room and cold storage applications. When hot air hits cold surfaces it condenses into water and ice, causing problems for insulation, but Foamular minimises moisture absorption, minimising loss of thermal properties.
Ice rinks produce huge amounts of pressure. The ice, cooling equipment and people skating on the ice add weight, but this is nothing compared to the weight of the ice cleaner. The gigantic ice cleaners weigh many tones and concentrate that weight on a small moving area. Foamular’s closed cell design minimises compression, reducing compressive creep and prolonging the life of the structure. 400Kpa Foamular board was chosen to support the 12 tonne ice cleaning machine.
Ice rinks represent a unique environment where most insulation would simply fail. The extreme cold, moisture and high pressure cause insulation to under perform, but Foamular Metric 400 Extruded Polystyrene is designed for such areas. When laid under the ice, Foamular stops the cold temperatures seeping out through the floor; this helps to make the cooling equipment more efficient and extends its usable life.
For more information on this application, view the Cool-Room Underslab Insulation page, or contact Austech.
Cold storage is one of the most extreme environments insulation can be exposed to, there is extreme cold, massive amounts of moisture from condensation, plus floor insulation has to cope with extreme pressure from vehicles and stored products.
Visit the Cold Storage Insulation page.
The Rand Cold Storage facility located at Homebush in Sydney, used 28,000 square metres of Foamular Extruded Polystyrene and is the largest facility of its kind in NSW. It provides state of the art Cold Storage, Refrigerated Transport and Distribution Services.
View the full cold storage insulation case study
Cold Storage floors are some of the hardest environments for insulation. There is extreme cold, high moisture, frozen liquid and extreme pressure from stock and machinery. Foamular is designed to cope with this and more, making it ideal for this application.
View the Cold Storage Insulation brochure