Frisomat builds 3 coupled steel constructions with perfect insulating values.

The Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival is for years one of the highlights in the Bruges Winter Programme. Since 2000, more than 150.000 visitors head for this unique event. The Festival is thus one of the biggest “public participating” events in Belgium. Each year, a professional team of 40 world-class ice modellers  unleash their talents on more than 800 tonnes of ice. Anno 2010, the medieval inner city is listed since a decennium on the UNESCO World Heritage list. To celebrate this, the most important places of interest around the world get a little brother mad of ice.

Frisomat as host

According the website of the Festival, the event takes place in an insulated complex. At this point, Frisomat enters the story. The upcoming 3 years, Frisomat will provide 3 coupled Sigma prefabricated hangars to the Festival. Why 3 coupled steel constructions ? To divide the eventual snow loads over the entire roof structure. The steel structure from the industrial building is optimised as such to avoid the risk of collapse.

An ice-cold hangar

Of course, the ice can’t melt, therefore a constant temperature of -6°C must be kept. A decentralized, intelligent and noiseless  cooling system is responsible for this matter. Only when the temperature rises above -6°C in a particular area of the industrial building, the cooling system makes sure to cool down to preserve the ice statues. Considering the cooling element of 800 tonnes of snow and ice, all of which in a hermetic sealed and insulated hangar, it’s only a matter of keeping the temperature constant. As a consequence, less power must be used, thus creating a greener environment.

Own production of sandwich panels

Besides the “cooling element” of the ice on its surrounding area, Frisomat attends to hold the cold as much as possible inside the hangar and to keep the warmth outside of the industrial building. To reach these values, Frisomat chooses for 60mm thick sandwich panels. These panels are produced on the brand-new sandwich panel line in Belgium, with its 114m long, one of the biggest in Belgium. The sandwich panels can support a snow load of 70kg/m², which corresponds to a “standard” snow layer of 40cm thick.

Very fast assembly

The 3 coupled steel constructions are assembled in a record time of 10 days, to relieve as much as possible the busy square on which the Festival will take place. Each prefab hangar will be anchored “in the square” by means of 70cm long anchors. These anchors have to make sure the steel constructions are wind resistant. From the moment the 3 prefab hangars are assembled, the ice is brought in and the modellers can start working.

Why are the Frisomat prefabricated constructions such a good choice ?

• everything is done by Frisomat
• fast assembly
• a strong steel construction made of the best quality
• excellent insulating values
• snow- and wind proof
• more than 30 years of experience
• an optimised steel structure
• all applications are possible

Would you like to visit the Ice Sculpture Festival in Bruges ? Go between the 26^th of November and the 16^th of January to the “Stationsplein” and discover an ice-cold world. Each day from 10h to 19h. For more information, please visit the site.