Ski Jump & Judges Tower in Klingenthal, Germany by m2r

The former East Germany territory, Klingenthal, Vogtland, has become a well-known ski resort area in Europe. Some of the famous ski jumpers in Germany and many World and Olympic champions has been forged here.

The old ski jump, which was the symbol of the Vogtland, was demolished in 1990 due to changes of the ski jump style and new rules of the FIS (Federation of international Skiers). This turned the whole region into desperation and the professional sport almost died out. It took almost ten years to get EU founded money. There was a EU open design competition launched in Summer 2003 and m2r was able to win it.

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m2r built a steel structure, which is as light as possible. In ski jumping every gram of weight counts and they transformed this into their design concept. Every component was placed at it’s optimum position and valued through the design processed. The whole construction period on site was only 4 month to practical completion. The ski jump will be functioning all year round due to a ceramic in run track and a artificial material in the landing zone.

The design proposes a long, compact, cylindrical volume, seemingly floating above the slope and facing the take off platform. The cylindrical tube corresponds in shape and material with the flying capsule of the “Inrun”. Skeletal pillars lift up the tube into the air expressing its lightness and providing the perfect position and distance to view the athletes.

Due to large covered terraces integrated into the building both the media and jury members view the event from the same vantage point. This will provide an ideal and unsurpassed medium for high quality media coverage. During the competition spectators will also be accommodated on the large covered terraces.The building is concentrating a variety of integral functions at one place, rather than having separate containers spread out in the landscape.

In addition to introducing improvements in operating efficiency and quality, this enabled changes to the existing environment to be minimised, thereby reducing any adverse effect on the local terrain.The jury tower is the connecting element between the viewing areas for spectators in the valley and the “Inrun” on the top of the mountain. It is one of the important elements to form an architectural ensemble. Compared to a traditional judges tower, the tube shows a minimised envelope and reduced overall area of circulation.

Architects: m2r
Project Year: 2006
Client: Landratsamt Vogtlandkreis
Structural Engineering: Arup Düsseldorf
Photographs: m2r