Danish architecture studio CEBRA has revealed a proposal for a snowflake-shaped ski dome that would be the biggest in the world, with three kilometres of slopes arching over a river in the Danish city of Randers.
Designed by CEBRA for the ski travel agency Danski, Skidome Denmark would have six indoor and two outdoor slopes on its three centrally connected arches, which resemble a six-armed snowflake.
If constructed, each arch would stretch 700 metres across the river Gudenåen, with the highest arch rising 110 metres above the ground. The biggest ski dome in the world at present is in Dubai – but at 22,500 square metres, Ski Dubai would be easily eclipsed by the 70,000 square metre Skidome Denmark if it goes ahead.
Unlike most indoor ski slopes, which tend to be built with few or no windows, the Skidome would have a perforated facade to give skiers a view over the surrounding river and meadows.
The topography of the six slopes is based on the most popular pistes of the Alpe d’Huez ski resort in France, but the architects say the slopes could be altered over time to give skiers a different experience on each visit.
The Skidome is also intended to be a useful addition to the city's wider infrastructure. "We have placed and designed the ski dome over the river to connect the different neighborhoods in the town of Randers," said Danksi representative Simon Oscar Andersen. "Actually, we give a whole lot to the city – the world's biggest ski dome, and a whole new connection across the river, which solves a lot of infrastructural problems for the city."
The Skidome would also offer facilities for skateboarding and BMXing, as well as a landscaped park on the roof.
Earlier this year we reported on CEBRA's proposal for a science and technology centre full of curving green ramps inside a former mineral water bottling plant in Copenhagen.
Images are from CEBRA.
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Here's some more information from the architects:
Danish architecture practice CEBRA has designed Skidome Denmark - a vision for the world’s biggest ski dome in the city of Randers for ski travelling agency Danski. The proposal offers over 3 km of indoor and outdoor slopes, freestyle park, hotel, restaurant and shops, covering a total area of 100.000 m2.
CEBRA’s ambitious proposal consists of three centrally connected arches, which resemble the basic shape of a six-armed snowflake. The arches each span 700 m across the river Gudenåen and the top arch’s highest point rises 110 m over ground, creating a distinctive landmark for the entire region, bringing a piece of the Alps to Denmark.
The basic idea of Skidome Denmark is to share and pass on the joy of skiing to the Danes by creating spectacular indoor facilities that bring skiers as close as possible to the experience of hurtling down a mountain side in the Alps. In order to meet this ambition, the architects have been inspired reversely, so to speak. Most ski domes around the world are designed from the inside with no or very few windows. However, an essential part of the skiing experience consists in being able to enjoy the surrounding scenery. The proposal’s high-rise composition of three arches combined with a filigree façade structure allows for spectacular views over Randers and the river-meadow area.
Skidome Denmark brings, quite literally, a piece of the Alps to Denmark: The slopes are developed in association with Alpe d’Huez ski resort in France, and the gradients are copied directly from the most popular pistes. The arches contain a total of six slopes with real snow and varying degrees of difficulty, so that skiers of all ages will be able to find challenges according to skills and experience. Every piste has its own chair lift and the three arches are conjoint by an elevator for transporting skiers between the different levels. In order to ensure variation in the landscape over time, it is possible to transform the pistes’ topography, providing visitors with a different experience each time they visit the ski dome.
Besides its primary function as a ski park, the vision for Skidome Denmark is designed to form an addition to Randers’ infrastructure, connecting the city across the natural barrier formed by the river Gudenåen. It is the aim of the concept that the dome can be used and enjoyed by everyone – any time of the day, any time of the year. Thus, the arches’ exterior roof surfaces are an integrated part of the design equal to the interior ski slopes. The top arch’s roof offers two black pistes, allowing outdoor skiing even during the summer. The middle arch is shaped like an urban playground with street sport facilities for skateboarding, BMX etc., while the bottom arch has a green landscape roof, which like a raised city park invites to a wide range of leisure activities.
Name: Skidome Denmark
Commission: Private
Client:  Danski
Type: Conceptual proposal
Location: Randers, DK
Area:  100,000 m2
Max. capacity: 3000 guests
Facilities: 6 indoor and 2 outdoor ski slopes (total length of 3020 m), 1 freestyle park
Hotel, restaurant, bar, shops
Public street sports park and green park