Engelsmann Peters GmbH was commissioned by the town of Kapfenberg with the structural analysis of the renovation and expansion of the ageing Kapfenberg ice rink into the future Kapfenberg town hall. A central component of the refurbishment was the renovation of the 54m wide filigree steel roof structure from the 1970s. In addition to issues relating to coating and corrosion protection, the main focus of the structural engineering work was on upgrading the structure to meet current standards relating to snow and earthquake loads. In addition to locally required node upgrades, care was taken to ensure that the refurbishment measures were carried out with as little impact on the existing structure as possible, which made it possible to preserve the existing roof structure by reducing the dead loads and arranging mat collectors to reduce the snow loads as planned. As part of the fundamentally new building services concept to ensure the building physics requirements of the new hall interior, the planning of the building services and electrical engineering lines in the area of the hall roof was also integrated. In addition to the renovation of the hall roof, various other steel structures such as a building services grating on the roof of the east section, the renovation of the VIP area and a curved steel bridge to connect the north and west stands were implemented as part of the project.

The existing reinforced concrete grandstands from the 1970s were also renovated and various local modifications were checked and planned with regard to their impact on the existing structure. In the eastern area, the existing grandstand frames were underpinned in order to accommodate the building services required to operate the ice rink in a new basement room, and the existing building itself was earthquake-proofed. The existing building in the northern area was demolished and replaced by a new concrete building that integrates the new concrete grandstand seating area. A new reinforced concrete building was erected to the south, which will serve as the future dressing rooms. A central element of the project was the construction of the new ice rink, in which around 320 m³ of concrete was poured in a single pour to meet the highest standards of vertical dimensional accuracy.

The circumferential façade from the 1980s was renovated while preserving the existing structure, enabling the installation of insulating glazing to meet the thermal requirements of building physics. Outside the existing façade, a perforated sheet metal façade was attached to the hall roof using a steel substructure, which prevents direct sunlight from reaching the ice rink.

The project was awarded the Austrian Steel Construction Prize 2023 in the "Further use" category.
Further information in the link: Winner of the Austrian Steel Construction Award 2023