07.05.2010
Students examine the sustainability of ice hockey stadiums
The Ice Hockey World Championships are starting tonight! (© Georg Brand, pixelio.de)
During the Ice Hockey World Championships, which are due to be held in Germany between 7 and 23 May, students from Nürtingen-Geislingen University (HfWU) will study the sustainability of sports stadiums at the three venues in Cologne, Mannheim and Gelsenkirchen. The idea is to focus in particular on social, ecological and economic factors. An important role will be played by the questionnaires which fans, players, support staff, catering staff and technicians will complete on what it is like travelling to and from and being in each of the stadiums.
The HfWU students will then evaluate environmental aspects in the fields of energy, drinking water, material, waste, waste water and sound insulation. As far as the social aspects are concerned, the students will concentrate their attention on how satisfactory the catering, sanitary facilities and working hours of employees are or what services are offered to people with disabilities or for children. Occupational accidents and medical care will also be examined. In terms of economic efficiency, the students aim to clarify, for example, how expensive energy supply and waste disposal costs are. 350,000 tickets have already been sold for the 56 scheduled games. The organisers are expecting 500,000 spectators.
The most spectacular event during the World Championships will almost certainly be the opening game between Germany and the USA on 7 May in the Schalke 04 stadium in Gelsenkirchen, where the football pitch has been transformed into an ice hockey arena for the day. The organiser is expecting a crowd of 75,000. The ice hockey stadiums in Cologne and Mannheim take 18,500 and 13,600 spectators respectively.
It was Dr. Beate Grupp, member of the organizing committee and council of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF, who came up with the idea for the HfWU project. The work will be supported by Professor Dr. Lisa Schwalbe, who is responsible for the energy and resource management degree course. The findings will be used to enhance the sustainability of future ice hockey world championships.
