Ski Jump in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

The form of the new ski jump, which replaces the previous Olympic facilities, was developed from the dynamics of the sport and takes up the topography of the site. The steel, bridge-like landing structure extends the gradient of the base slope upwards, linking the actual ski jump with the ground. A diagonal lift parallel to a steep “Jacob’s ladder” staircase ensures a quick link with the top. The load-bearing steel structure of the actual jump consists of a four-chord truss with lateral framing and with a changing trapezoidal cross-section. The sides of the structure are clad with a unifying skin of translucent polycarbonate slabs, the transparency of which diminishes almost imperceptibly towards the top. As a result, the inner structure can be apprehended at the bottom, whereas at the head of the jump, only the closed outer form is visible. By day, and especially with snow lying on the ground, the volume, with its greyish-white skin, seems to be embedded in the landscape, while at night, when the structure is illuminated from within, it towers above the slopes like a light sculpture.