Arena Events : UK & Europe design and build temporary TV studio for Dancing on Ice

ITV's spectacular show Dancing On Ice returned after a four-year absence with a stunning semi-permanent studio space, audience seating and production infrastructure all provided by Arena UK & Europe.

Due to a shortage of permanent large studio facilities in the UK, commercial director James Anderson was approached by ITV to provide a solution to their need for a bespoke studio space, complete with ice rinks.

Using two I-Novation structures linked by a tunnel, the main studio housed a kidney-shaped ice rink surrounded by 460 tiered audience seats. An ice tunnel linked to a practice rink in the second structure, which also housed 12 ensuite dressing rooms, green room, physio room and production offices. Arena met the client brief perfectly, delivering a studio designed for the producers' specific needs.

In total, Arena Ice and Arena Structures provided more than 1,000sqm of ice in a semi-permanent building. The snow loading of the roof capability of the roof was put to the test during the build process in December and the venue incorporated thermal insulation along with full temperature control to cope with the shifts in climate between December and March.

Arena Scaffolding supplied 2,500sqm of scaffolding to ensure the performers' ice rink was perfectly level.

The build, which was project managed by project director Nathan Pankhurst, took two months and the finished structures - which are 144sqm bigger than the LH2 Studios where X Factor is filmed - will stay in place for the six-month filming schedule.

The project demonstrates perfectly how our temporary building technology can offer the sort of semi-permanent, high-quality solutions that permanent buildings cannot.

Dancing On Ice, presented by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, launched to a huge audience on ITV on January 7^th and will run for 10 weeks, live every Sunday night.