Top indoor climate for climbing enthusiasts

Bouldering (from the English word ‘boulder’) refers to climbing without a rope or harness in natural or artificial climbing walls. Since the 1990s, bouldering has experienced rapid growth and is enjoying increasing popularity. The founding members and board members of Die Boulderhalle Dübendorf AG have been successfully running the St. Gallen climbing hall for over ten years and therefore decided to create another location for professional indoor climbing. ‘We found what we were looking for in the premises of a former car repair shop in Dübendorf near Zurich,’ says managing director Ingo Kuttler.

Boulderhalle Dübendorf is a meeting place for climbing enthusiasts of all ages – whether beginners or professionals, young or old. Visitors can expect a variety of bouldering walls and climbing routes with different levels of difficulty across 800 m2. A spacious training area with a so-called Kilter Board, a climbing wall with an adjustable angle of inclination of up to 70°, is also available. For young boulderers, there is also a separate children's area where they can let off steam. A cosy bistro invites visitors to linger and relax afterwards.

To ensure that climbing enthusiasts feel comfortable in the bouldering hall at any time of year, the right room temperature plays a crucial role. An indoor climate that is too hot or even draughty is by no means pleasant for sports. To heat the large hall area comfortably, the bouldering hall therefore relies on radiant ceiling panels from Swiss indoor climate specialist Zehnder. ‘As is usually the case in large halls, radiant ceiling panels are one of the best solutions for targeted and efficient heating,’ explains Avni Kosumi, sales consultant in Zehnder's field service. 

The bouldering hall therefore decided to continue using the radiant ceiling panels that had already been installed in the former car repair shop. ‘The radiant ceiling panels were ideal for us, as we need a ceiling height of up to ten metres for bouldering,’ says Ingo Kuttler, manager of the Dübendorf bouldering hall. Zehnder ZIP radiant ceiling panels in elegant white are used in the three halls and in the bistro area. Three panels are placed side by side on the hall ceiling, spanning the hall in strips of individually adjusted lengths. Each strip is approximately 12,000 to 32,000 mm long, giving the ceiling radiant panels in the bouldering hall a total length of around 80,000 mm. Thanks to their modular design, Zehnder ZIP ceiling radiant panels can be combined flexibly. The white ceiling modules blend harmoniously into the hall's ambience. They were connected to the existing heating system in the building and are operated with gas heating.

Zehnder radiant ceiling panels work on the principle of radiation, which gives them excellent properties in terms of comfort and energy efficiency. When heating, warm water flows through the radiant ceiling panels and releases its energy in the form of infrared radiation, which is only felt as pleasant warmth when it comes into contact with the human body or objects in the room. Unlike conventional heat distribution systems, it is therefore not necessary to preheat the entire room air, which can keep the room air temperature up to three Kelvin lower. This significantly reduces energy consumption and, according to DIN V 18599, energy savings of up to 40% are possible compared to other systems. The particularly short response time of Zehnder radiant ceiling panels also ensures that the desired heat is always available immediately. 

Managing Director Ingo Kuttler is very satisfied with how it works: ‘The main advantage of radiant ceiling panels is definitely their ease of use and controllability, which ensures that temperatures are always comfortable.’ The radiant ceiling panels prevent unpleasant draughts, noise and dust swirls. ‘The infrared radiation provides very pleasant, mild heat,’ reports Kuttler.