Heron: The graceful and elegant heron, the official symbol of the City of Richmond, is the inspiration for the architectural design of the Richmond Olympic Oval.

The heron is celebrated in a series of feathered roof spans that tail off the edge of the building to create porches that will serve as outdoor gathering spaces. The roofline of the Oval also mirrors the outline of the stylized heron that is the centrepiece of the city’s logo.

Herons are a common sight on the banks of the Fraser River immediately in front of the Oval, where they can often be spotted fishing at low tide.

The heron epitomizes the three primary themes that form the building’s conceptual centre: Flow, Flight, and Fusion.

• Flow, in its three principal states (smooth laminar, transitional, and turbulent), is celebrated throughout the building and site. Interior and exterior celebrate human existence within the daily and seasonal cycles of sun, water, earth, and wind. The rigorous order of the city’s built environment gives way to the natural order of the river’s edge.

• Flight represents the elevation of the human spirit, through both elite athletic achievement and the eternal human aspiration to develop both mind and body. For the speed skater, years of rigorous preparation culminate in the turbulence of the Olympic event. Community members entering the Oval experience a lifting of spirit and vision in this oasis dedicated to the potential of the human body.

• Fusion of the physical and spiritual elements of flow and flight is attained in the creation of a unique, inspirational environment that enhances the culture of the City of Richmond, the region, and the country. The estuary, like Canada, is both diverse and interconnected, fluid and elemental, powerful and calm.
  
  The three primary themes are reflected in a number of the building’s striking features, including the glassed northern side, which provides spectacular views to the Fraser River and the North Shore mountains beyond, and innovative water features created from stormwater gathered from the Oval’s enormous roof.