Expanded and renamed, the Acinque Ice Arena in the Italian city of Varese is preparing for the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milano-Cortina 2026) with facilities for hosting ice events, swimming and fitness, as well as new padel (racket sport) courts. Part of the extensive renovation of the former Varese Ice Rink includes new technical systems and latest generation RCF Audio PA and EVAC systems.
The redevelopment covers new lighting, a suspended LED cube and sound systems for both house sound reinforcement and EN54 fire dectection and alarms installed by RCF partner, Tecnoalarm/Tecnofire. The project has transformed the ice rink into an arena able to welcome any type of national and international competition.
The project was handled by Costigliola, a company active in the construction industry for more than 40 years, with extensive experience of installing advanced technology, in both the public and private sectors.
‘The structural redevelopment of the ice rink began in 2021, beginning with the restoration of the roof and laminated wood structures, including the extensions up to the complete renovation of the technology upgrades,’ says Costigliola Commercial Manager Dr Alberto Costigliola. ‘For the audio systems, we relied on the expertise of RCF, which assisted Costigliola through Pietro Mandelli of the Engineering Support Group. From the initial design phase, through system programming to commissioning and delivery of the system, RCF was a tremendous partner.’
The RCF reinforcement system includes several zones – the arena’s 1,110-seat grandstands and the two indoor swimming pools are served by RCF P4228 weatherproof, full-range loudspeakers, which ensure resistance to the environmental conditions of installation.
On the second floor, a large gymnasium with two multi-purpose training rooms are equipped by Compact M08 two-way loudspeakers with wooden cabinets. The DX 1616 Digital Matrix Processor serves as the master unit of the system, managing routing and processing of all audio signals, and distribution to RCF QPS 9600, HPS 2500, DMA 162 and DMA 82 power amplifiers.
A dedicated control room has been equipped with an RCF F 12XR mixer, while two TX 4016 wireless microphones are provided for announcements.
An RCF DXT 3000 Interlink EVAC system is used for emergency announcements in all areas of the building. Different types of loudspeaker were installed, including HD 21EN plastic horn loudspeakers, DU 50EN universal loudspeakers and PL 68EN ceiling speakers, in accordance with the environmental and architectural constraints. The system is interfaced as per the UNI ISO 7240-19 standard with the fire detection unit of Tecno Alarm, RCF’s partner for the construction of this system.
The arena was officially inaugurated by Italian President, Sergio Mattarella. ‘The inauguration day took place using only the systems inside the building without any external integration, and provided clarity and definition of speech and music worthy of a music concert,’ Costigliola reports.
More: www.rcf.it
