Patinoire Michel-Raffoux

Patinoire Michel-Raffoux (English: Michel Raffoux Ice Rink) is an ice rink located in the harbor of Dunkirk, Pas-de-Calais, France. It is the second venue to bear that name after another located in the beach district of Malo-les-Bains, which it replaced.[11] Like its predecessor, it serves as the home venue for ice hockey team Corsaires de Dunkerque.

Patinoire Michel-Raffoux
AddressRoute du Quai Freycinet 3
Môle 1
LocationDunkirk, Pas-de-Calais, France
Coordinates51°2′13.3″N 2°21′55.1″E
Public transitBus interchange Môle 1
OwnerCommunauté urbaine de Dunkerque[1]
OperatorVert Marine[2]
Executive suites6[3]
Capacity1400 (seated)[3][4]
1700 (total)[1][4]
Field size60 × 30 metre (rink 1)
42 × 20 metre (rink 2)[5]
Surface7890 m2[5]
Construction
Broke ground27 January 2018[6]
Opened1 August 2019 (opening)[7][8]
6 September 2019 (inauguration ceremony)[9]
Construction cost€21 million[10]
ArchitectChabanne et Partenaires[5]
General contractorRamery[4]
Tenants
Corsaires de Dunkerque
(2019–present)

History

The new building replaces its older namesake, a 56 × 26 metre facility inaugurated on 7 November 1970[1] and demolished in late 2019. Beyond the name, there is no connection between the two, as the old Patinoire Michel-Raffoux sat near the city's casino and congress center, two kilometers to the northeast of the new one.[11] Both were named in honor of Michel Raffoux (1934 – 1990), a former president of the Corsaires and the French Ice Sports Federation's Northern Minor Hockey League.[12]

Negotiations to replace the aging rink had been ongoing for years when,[13] during a 1 November 2014 game against Reims, an errand puck flew into the unprotected stands and hit 8-year old fan Hugo Vermeersh in the temple, mortally injuring him.[14][15] The child's death and resulting national media attention lent added gravitas to calls for an up-to-date venue, which received funding from the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque in late 2015.[16]

The current version was inaugurated in the summer of 2019. It is located on a disused mole in Dunkirk harbor, half a mile west of Dunkirk city centre.[5]

Design

The new Patinoire Michel-Raffoux represented the second phase of the mole's rehabilitation project, following architect fr:Pierre-Olivier Faloci's remodel of the Halle aux Sucres, a late 19th-century warehouse built by fr:Paul Friesé, into an information commons.[5] Patinoire Michel-Raffoux stands next to it, and its proportions are meant to echo those of Faloci's work.[17][6] As a further nod to the area's industrial background, three of the rink's sides have been covered with aluminum panels that simulate a rusted look. The remaining short side is a 45 × 10 metre wall of glass. Its northerly orientation allows a view on the Halle aux Sucres' central aisle while protecting the recreational rink, which it borders, from excess sun glare.[6]

The building consists of an Olympic-sized track and a smaller recreational track. The main hall is equipped with six VIP boxes, and a restaurant with a row of club-level seats above the home goal. It was designed by Chabanne et Partenaires, who also created ice arenas for the agglomerations of Angers, Cergy-Pontoise and Marseille.[18]

Notable events

References
  1. Chabas, Sébastien (19 September 2016). "La patinoire de Dunkerque conçue entre mer et terre". batiactu.com (in French). Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  2. "Dunkerque: gérée par Vert Marine, la patinoire ne risque pas la fermeture". lavoixdunord.fr. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  3. "La patinoire entre en piste". Le journal communautaire. No. 26. Dunkirk: Communauté urbaine Dunkerque Grand Littoral. December 2017. p. 12.
  4. "Nouveau terrain de jeu pour les corsaires". ramery.fr. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  5. "Lens / Dunkerque" (PDF). Carnet de voyage. Nantes: Association régionale pour la diffusion et la promotion de l’architecture. October 2020.
  6. Jannekeyn, Fabrice (29 January 2018). "Nouvelle patinoire de Dunkerque, 1ère pierre posée !". Actualités (in French). Corsaire TV. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  7. Saroul, Kévin (30 July 2019). "La nouvelle patinoire : un lieu haut de gamme pour tous". nordlittoral.fr. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  8. "La nouvelle patinoire Michel-Raffoux ouvrira ses portes le 1er août". lavoixdunord.fr. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  9. "Tout le monde mobilisé pour fêter la nouvelle patinoire". deltafm.fr. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  10. Kiavué, Julie (1 February 2018). "Les travaux lancés, Dunkerque accueillera sa nouvelle patinoire à l'été 2019". actu.fr. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  11. "Dunkerque : l'ancienne patinoire vit ses dernières heures". lavoixdunord.fr. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  12. "Le Temple de la renommée". hockeycorsaires.com. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  13. "Dunkerque : la future patinoire dévoilée". francetvinfo.fr. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  14. "Dunkerque sous le choc après la mort d'Hugo". lepoint.fr. AFP. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  15. "Dunkerque : Hugo, 8 ans, tué par un palet de hockey". ladepeche.fr. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  16. "Dunkerquois : Pour le projet de patinoire, les élus communautaires disent 'OK'". lavoixdunord.fr. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  17. Mével, Nadège (May–July 2021). "Patinoire Michel-Raffoux à Dunkerque par l'agence Chabanne". Exé. No. 44. Quimper: Éditions Fitamant.
  18. "Chabanne Architecte". archi-guide.com. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  19. Delporte, David (18 December 2019). "Dunkerque s'offre les premiers championnats de France des sports de glace". lavoixdunord.fr. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.