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The Ruukki® Patina panel brings vitality and nuances to the new padel center in Östersund, Sweden. Ruukki Patina gives the building natural tinges and acts as a connective element between the surroundings and adjacent industrial area.
Padel has become a very popular sport in Sweden and the ground has now been broken for another padel center in Östersund. Construction will begin in late summer 2021 and is expected to complete at the turn of 2021/22. Ruukki will supply the sandwich panels, the new Ruukki® Patina panel, which will form the walls of the center.
“The advantage with the Patina panel is that the exterior of Cor-Ten® steel creates a varied appearance and is less sensitive to damage than a coated surface. The exterior looks great and changes naturally with time,” says Elin Pantzare at Area Arkitektur, who were responsible for architectural design.
New style for the centers
Elin Pantzare says that the Ruukki Patina panel is a welcome product on the market since sandwich panels are often used in industrial halls and sports centers, which are typically fairly large buildings with few windows. There is a risk of large volumes easily becoming monotonous and expressionless, especially as high demands are often placed on economic and time efficiency when building industrial halls and sports centers.
“We’ve used the Ruukki Patina panel to try and break the monotonous appearance through the panel’s natural changes in color and material. Besides this, we have created an outer “belt” of perforated sheet that is freed from the façade to create variation in depth and texture,” explains Elin Pantzare.
The Ruukki Patina goes well with the surrounding pine forest and use of the panels also involves a safety aspect. The center will be built right next to an E-road, where the use of reflective material should be avoided. The Ruukki Patina panel has a matt surface.
A great look into the bargain
Elin Pantzare says that both the customer, LRD fastigheter AB, and Padel Arena Östersund AB, who will run the center, had a very positive attitude to the façade material.
She herself considers that Cor-Ten® steel is a material that is ideally suited for cladding many different types of building and is pleased that the material can now be found on finished sandwich panels from Ruukki. She is also excited to see the panels in real life this autumn on the padel center’s façade.
Since panels are often used in construction projects that are subject to strict time and financial constraints, Elin thinks that all too often this results in design and appearance not being adequately taken into account. Elin predicts that with the Ruukki Patina panel, developers can choose a slightly more varied look for their buildings in a cost-effective way.
Not just a sports arena
Padel centers need to be designed with a relatively large span and be quite hall for the game to work. Besides function, design was based on creating the conditions for an economically, temporally and environmentally sustainable project.
Since Padel has become a form of social togetherness and something of a network sport, design has addressed public facilities so that after a game, players can take a sauna, relax in the jacuzzi or get together socially,” says Elin Pantzare. The Padel center even has conference facilities.
The Ruukki Patina panel goes well with the surrounding pine forest, acting as transition elements between the pine trees in the east and the industrial zone in west.
“I hope and believe that the center will be a building that is kind on the eyes and a pleasant place to enjoy a game and socialize in pleasant surroundings,” sums up Elin Pantzare.
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The padel center, which will open in winter 2021/22 is a single-story building with a mezzanine. The entrance level is 1,860 square meters, with place for six padel courts, a shop and catering. The mezzanine is about 300 square meters and has facilities for relaxation, changing rooms and conference rooms. The property is owned by LRD Fastigheter AB and activities in the new center will be run by Padel Arena Östersund AB.