訪客如果想要更親近這座傾斜超過45度，高達百公尺的跳台，不妨乘著電梯到達頂端的咖啡館，品味咖啡之餘還能飽覽阿爾卑斯如畫的山色，與有如積木般的城市動態。跳台空間氛圍營造出攝人的跳躍動感，無論從哪個角度都能夠感受到這份旺盛的生命力。
伊澤山原是200年前，Anfreas Hofer 帶領蒂洛爾人抵抗拿破崙的浴血之地，1925年，茵斯布魯克在這個歷史遺址上建造了一座滑雪跳台(ski jump)，之後的1964和1976年冬季奧運，甚至包括1988年由教皇保祿二世舉行的萬人祈福大會，都在這裡舉行。為了迎接2002年國際跳台競賽的來到，茵斯布魯克聘請知名的英籍建築師札哈?哈蒂(Zaha Hadid)設計新的滑雪跳台。
哈蒂在接手這個案子之前，她的建築向來被視為紙上談兵而不切實際，但伴隨著科技發達，哈蒂大膽的夢想得以成真，最終這座造型前衛的跳台，以輕盈而不可能的驚人設計，獲得2002年奧地利的建築金獎，而哈蒂的知名度也在近年來更加水漲船高。現在的伊澤山跳台不但被視為建築傑作，也是常登上雜誌的常客，跳台本身規畫了觀景台和餐廳，開放給遊客遊覽，至於嘗試跳台的權利，就只有專業選手才能享受，目前的最佳紀錄—起跳9秒鐘後飛躍138.5公尺，是由瑞典選手創下的。
設計案名稱：冬季奧運滑雪跳台 Innsbruck Bergisel Ski Jump
設計案位置：Innsbruck 奧地利建築師：Zaha Hadid
冬季奧運滑雪跳台 Innsbruck Bergisel Ski Jump圖片
Cobra, high-heeled shoe, golf club... Quite a few nicknames have emerged for the new Bergisel Ski Jump since its opening in September 2002. Time will tell if one of these nicknames will stick, but already the ski jump by the London firm Zaha Hadid Architects has become an important point of reference for the surrounding mountain landscape.
The project is unusual because it is more than a ski jump. It is a hybrid of a highly specialized sports facility and a collection of public spaces including a cafe and a public viewing terrace. Normally, a ski jump is a relatively one-dimensional technical building, laid out for a single purpose. But in Innsbruck, the architects wanted to find a new form to express the mixed use.
Innsbruck has a long tradition as a venue for winter sport competitions, especially for Olympic ski jumping. Bergisel Mountain, overlooking the town, was the venue of the great ski jumping competitions during the Winter Olympics of 1964 and 1976.
But by the 1990s, Innsbruck was facing a problem. Its 1960s-built facility no longer conformed to international regulations. Modern athletes were jumping much farther than they did in the 60s, so the site had to be redesigned if Innsbruck were to remain a top international venue.
The event organizers finally decided to start a major refurbishment of the Olympic Arena. The old ski jump, built by the engineer Horst Passer, had to give way to new construction. In December 1999, the firm of Zaha Hadid won the international competition of the Bergisel Betriebsgesellschaft.
Sweeping Down the Mountain
The new Bergisel Ski Jump is a sweeping, geometric run that fits in perfectly against the background of the towering Alps. It is like a cross between a tower and a bridge — 295 feet (90 meters) long and almost 165 feet (50 meters) high.The slim tower design incorporates the cafe and viewing terrace at the top. Two lifts take visitors up to the cafe, 130 feet (40 meters) above the peak of Bergisel. There, spectators enjoy views over a beautiful alpine panorama, and from this privileged viewpoint they can observe the athletes flying across the Innsbruck skyline.
Hadid's competition entry stood out from the others because of its silhouette. The design suggests an almost animalistic presence, and it has the power to become a local landmark. Project manager Jan Hübener said in an interview: "Originally, there was an abstract design idea that developed relatively independently from the competition regulations. It turned out during the design process that there was no problem to install the whole program into this abstract idea, as it was flexible enough."
The structure and shape of the project was developed in collaboration with structural engineer Christian Aste. To coordinate the construction process, the architects needed to set up precise logistics on the building site, taking into consideration the difficult topographical conditions of the mountain and the high technical demands of the building, all coming together within a short construction schedule.
Flight Tied to the Earth
Design was complicated by the coexistence of three different kinds of construction: underground, surface, and aerial. Structurally the ski jump consists of a vertical concrete tower, a green-metal bridge integrating the ramp and the cafe, and the foundation dug into the Bergisel Mountain.But conceptually, the structural elements are not different systems, just parts of the total construction. It was important for the project to create a uniform architecture, a fluid building. To support this image of fluidity, the building was covered with metal sheets marked with fine vertical grooves that follow the curves and reflect light differently depending on time of day.
At night, lights trace the cafe and the track of the ramp. The inside of the ramp, which has a U-shaped cross section, and the inside of the cafe are lit by strips of light that change color. Lighting the interior makes the tower's appearance at night quite different from that of daytime.
In a sense, the ski jump represents an interactive viewpoint. On one hand, it attracts attention to itself; on the other hand, it offers a view onto the landscape and town of Innsbruck. Let's hope that the public areas of the structure will be used not only by tourists but also by locals and that it inspires valley residents to visit their Bergisel Mountain.
For outsiders seeking an occasion to visit the building, the refurbished Bergisel Stadium will play host to the international Four Hills Ski Jumping Championships in January 2004.