K.B. Hallen winner of European Steel Design Award 2019

The European Convention for Constructional Steelwork (ECCS) is behind the award. The International judging committee emphasized on the simplicity of the construction, where the steel arches support elements of concrete and form both part of the roof and deck construction. It provides strength for large column-free span and high-level robustness.

Therefore, the European Steel Award, which is awarded every two years, goes to Copenhagen Boldklub (KB) as developer, Christensen & Co. Architects, Ramboll as consulting engineers, Einar Kornerup as main contractor and Give Staalspaer as steel contractor for their collaboration on recon-structing K.B. Hallen; not as a true copy of the original hall, but in a contemporary interpretation. The new KB Hallen was inaugurated in December 2018 after being irredeemably damaged by a fire in 2011.

“We are proud of this recognition, that K.B. Hallen has been selected among Europe's foremost steel projects. The curved shape, which is so characteristic of the venue, is crucial and has high de-mands for the strength of the steel structures and has definitely been a challenge for the engineer-ing design. In addition, the building must be adaptable to accommodate a variety of sports activities and concerts. Therefore, it is extremely rewarding that our solutions have been recognized within the industry,” says Hans Exner, who is the Project Manager for the steel structures at K.B. Hallen.

Not too many decibels for the neighbors

The curved shape has a more contemporary design than the original version, with a column-free extension of the 1st floor, which thus appears as a 'floating' floor to the east and north. This places great demands on the strength and stiffness of the steel structures against oscillations.

The combination of steel arches and a concrete roof is optimal as it meets several considerations:
Traditional prefabricated building elements similar to today's building techniques are used; the heavy concrete roof gives the necessary sound attenuation for the nearby neighbors, what a lighter roof of steel sheets or wood would not. And last but not least, the arch shape is effective in carrying the weight of the roof, which is the dominant proportion of the load.

In the new K. B. Hallen the scene can be moved around. The steel structures can bear up to 50 tons of hanging sound and lighting equipment throughout the hall.

The awards ceremony will take place in Brussels on October 14, 2019.

The international jury committee consists of:
Lasse Kilvaer, Norway, Chairman of AC4 Architectural Awards Committee and Chairman of the Jury Meeting
Vincent de Ville de Goyet, Belgium, Engineer, Design office Greisch
Philippe Samyn, Belgium, Architect, Samyn and Partners
Georg Pendl, Austria, President ACE, Architects’ Council for Europe
Aris Chatzidakis, Greece, President of the European Council for Civil Engineers
Véronique Dehan, Belgium, Secretary General ECCS