PROJECT
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Continued from page 1
Revived Durban Ice Arena
restores glory to beachfront
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E
3
ighteen years ago, Durban’s ice
centre with conference halls, while the
rink in Somtseu Road behind the
ice rink has been moved to a new floor
Golden Mile beachfront started on
upstairs. The Olive Theatre venue has
a decline towards being an abandoned
tiered seating for 1 500 people, while the
and derelict building. In its heyday, it
Banqueting Hall can seat 1 000 people.
was a tourist Mecca and a centre of
The banqueting and meeting rooms
entertainment for Durbanites. However,
feature well-appointed kitchens, modern
when the ice rink ceased operations, it
lighting, and everything else needed for
soon became an eyesore.
international conventions and banquets
But all this changed when a
businessman, Sastri Ramiah, submitted a
Because of the very high roof
structure, it was possible to add an extra
it is the thriving, modern Olive Convention
floor that now houses the new Durban
Centre that includes the new Durban Ice
Ice Arena: Durban’s first ice rink of
Arena. The only feature that resembles
international standards in size and layout.
the derelict building from before, is the
In speaking to Aron Daniel, operations
arched roof structure — a well-known
manager of the Olive Convention
landmark that has been kept.
Centre, we asked about the name
has been converted into a convention
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— all with energy saving LED lighting.
tender to redevelop the building. Today,
The original ice rink on the ground floor
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‘olive’. He was quick to respond that
the olive is often referred to in the Bible
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1. The ground floor can now be used as a meeting room or for breakaway sessions.
2. At the heart of the refrigeration system are two Mycom N4M reciprocating compressors.
3. The three Grundfos pumps that circulate low-temperature glycol to the piping beneath
the skating surface.
4. Two Alfa-Laval ammonia-to-glycol plate heat exchangers cool the circulating glycol to
-10°C.
5. Carpeted entrance to the main banqueting hall.
6. After dressing the ice, Derek Loader manually fills even the smallest of indentations in the
smooth surface.
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COLD LINK AFRICA • November | December 2016