Bergisel Ski Jump - Austria zaha hadid

Bergisel Ski Jump Austria

Design: Zaha Hadid Architects
Bergisel Ski Jump
Audacious design by this world-famous Iraqi architect. Since this ski jump design was completed a number of other major architects have designed spectacular ski jumps – such as Holmenkollen Ski Jump in Oslo by JDS – but this was the first one. It was was ZHA’s first project in Austria, later her Nordpark Railway Stations in Innsbruck (2007) were shortlisted for the Stirling Prize.     
It was in December 1999 that Zaha Hadid Architects won the international architecture competition for a new ski jump on the Bergisel Mountain in Innsbruck. The new structure opened in 2002. Situated on the Bergisel Mountain overlooking downtown Innsbruck, the ski jump is a major landmark.
It is part of a larger refurbishment project for the Olympic Arena and replaces the old ski jump, which no longer met with international standards. The building is a hybrid of highly specialized sports facilities and public spaces, including a café and a viewing terrace. These different programs are combined into a single new shape, which extends the topography of the slope into the sky.
At a length of about 90m and a height of almost 50m the building is a combination of a tower and a bridge. Structurally it is divided into the vertical concrete tower and a spatial steel structure, which integrates the ramp and the café. Two elevators bring visitors to the café, 40 m over the peak of the Bergisel Mountain. From here they can enjoy the surrounding alpine landscape as well as watch the athletes below fly above the Innsbruck skyline.