Vikingskipet - Construction

Construction

During the process of the Lillehammer bid for the 1992 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee had not specified that it was necessary with an indoor speed skating rink. Calgary had used the indoor Olympic Oval during the 1988 Winter Olympics, but Albertville, who were awarded the 1992 Winter Olympics, had opted for the outdoor L'anneau de vitesse. In its bid, the speed skating events were planned held at Stampesletta, an outdoor track and field stadium in Lillehammer. Only after Lillehammer had been awarded the 1994 Winter Olympics was it decided that an indoor venue would have to be built for the games.

Hamar had previously been a venue for international speed skating events at Hamar stadion. The town was therefore selected to host the two skating venues. In December 1989, it was decided that the new venue would be built at Åkervika, a Ramsar site 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) outside downtown Hamar. A compromise was reached whereby the stadium was moved 50 meters (160 ft) from its original location, two birdwatching towers were built, and a lumber yard was moved. Nature and Youth remained opposed to the plans, stating the location "has destroyed part of one of the world's most important bird reserves".

The construction was passed by the Parliament of Norway in April 1990. Architects were Niels Torp, and Biong and Biong. Ole K. Karlsen was selected to build the building, in competition with eleven other contractors. The ventilation contract worth NOK 18 million had originally been awarded to Hagen & Haugan on 29 May 1991. Two days later, the Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee signed a sponsorship agreement with Norsk Viftefabrikk and Elektrisk Bureau, both part of Asea Brown Boveri, which demanded discounts in their sponsorship payments for not receiving the contract. In September 1992, Investa, which owned Ole K. Karlsen, filed for bankruptcy, causing delays in construction. When it opened, Vikingskipet was the largest indoor sports venue in the world, and has twice the spectator capacity of the Olympic Oval. The ice rink was first tested on 15 December 1992, and officially opened on 19 December.

The construction of the venue cost NOK 230 million, which was almost entirely financed through state grants. Hamar Municipality contributed by building a co-located fire station for NOK 21 million. Local businesses also contributed with NOK 8 million. Moelven Industrier and Fireguard both contributed in exchange for being able to use the venues for marketing large wooden structures. To finance the operating deficit after the Olympics, Hamar Municipality received a capital grant of NOK 30 million, with the interest going to pay for running Vikingskipet and Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre. Operating costs were estimated at NOK 7 million per year; the venue will receive income of NOK 1 million from larger events, NOK 1 million will come from free work from the fire department, and NOK 1 million from advertisements. Similar to Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre, the venue has two official names, Hamar Olympic Hall and Vikingskipet. The former cannot be used commercially by non-Olympic events, such as in merchandise.