Patinoire Michel-Raffoux
Ice rink located in Dunkirk, France
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Patinoire Michel-Raffoux (English: Michel Raffoux Ice Rink) is an ice rink located in the harbor of Dunkirk, Pas-de-Calais, France. It is the second venue to bear that name after another located in the beach district of Malo-les-Bains, which it replaced.[11] Like its predecessor, it serves as the home venue for ice hockey team Corsaires de Dunkerque.
Môle 1
 Interactive map of Patinoire Michel-Raffoux | |
| Address | Route du Quai Freycinet 3 Môle 1 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dunkirk, Pas-de-Calais, France |
| Coordinates | 51°2′13.3″N 2°21′55.1″E |
| Owner | Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque[1] |
| Operator | Vert Marine[2] |
| Capacity | 1400 (seated)[3][4] 1700 (total)[1][4] |
| Executive suites | 6[3] |
| Surface | 7890 m2[5] |
| Field size | 60 × 30-metre (rink 1) 42 × 20-metre (rink 2)[5] |
| Public transit |  Môle 1 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 27 January 2018[6] |
| Opened | 1 August 2019 (opening)[7][8] 6 September 2019 (inauguration ceremony)[9] |
| Construction cost | €21 million[10] |
| Architect | Chabanne et Partenaires[5] |
| General contractor | Ramery[4] |
| Tenants | |
| Corsaires de Dunkerque (2019–present) | |
History
The new building replaces its older namesake, a 56 × 26-metre facility inaugurated on 7 November 1970[1] and demolished in late 2019. Beyond the name, there is no connection between the two, as the old Patinoire Michel-Raffoux sat near the city's casino and congress center, two kilometers to the northeast of the new one.[11] Both were named in honor of Michel Raffoux (1934–1990), a former president of the Corsaires and the French Ice Sports Federation's Northern Minor Hockey League.[12]
Negotiations to replace the aging rink had been ongoing for years when,[13] during a 1 November 2014 game against Reims, an errand puck flew into the unprotected stands and hit 8-year-old fan Hugo Vermeersh in the temple, mortally injuring him.[14][15] The child's death and resulting national media attention lent added gravitas to calls for an up-to-date venue, which received funding from the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque in late 2015.[16]
The current version was inaugurated in the summer of 2019. It is located on a disused mole in Dunkirk harbor, half a mile west of Dunkirk city centre.[5]
Design
The new Patinoire Michel-Raffoux represented the second phase of the mole's rehabilitation project, following architect fr:Pierre-Olivier Faloci's remodel of the Halle aux Sucres, a late 19th-century warehouse built by fr:Paul Friesé, into an information commons.[5] Patinoire Michel-Raffoux stands next to it, and its proportions are meant to echo those of Faloci's work.[17][6] As a further nod to the area's industrial background, three of the rink's sides have been covered with aluminum panels that simulate a rusted look. The remaining short side is a 45 × 10-metre wall of glass. Its northerly orientation allows a view on the Halle aux Sucres' central aisle while protecting the recreational rink, which it borders, from excess sun glare.[6]
The building consists of an Olympic-sized track and a smaller recreational track. The main hall is equipped with six VIP boxes, and a restaurant with a row of club-level seats above the home goal. It was designed by Chabanne et Partenaires, who also created ice arenas for the agglomerations of Angers, Cergy-Pontoise and Marseille.[18]