This signature speed-skating venue for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is a $178 million dollar complex that will become a landmark multipurpose sports, recreation and community facility on Richmond’s waterfront. Beyond serving as a catalyst for transformation of the riverfront into a high-density, urban neighborhood, the Oval, at 38,000 square metres, is intended to function as a future venue for community events, creating a lasting legacy beyond its immediate purpose. Project sponsors have established LEED® Silver Certification as the sustainability goal, seeking a design solution that optimizes energy use, environmental health and aesthetic value.
The RAIC award noted that the Richmond Olympic Oval incorporates several innovative design features, among them: the use of one million board feet of discarded pine-beetle-killed wood that creates a stunningly beautiful structural ceiling; the design of composite wood glulam beams spanning 100 metres, which are creatively integrated with the distinctive structural ceiling; the design and seamless integration of all building systems and infrastructure into the structural systems of glulam arch and pine-beetle ceiling; and the way in which the building’s dual function has been incorporated to provide the flexibility, adaptability and conversion features required to transform from a single purpose venue (speed skating oval) to a multi-use International Centre of Excellence for Sports and Wellness.
In addition to the RAIC Award of Excellence, the Richmond Olympic Oval was recently the recipient of the Sustainability Star award. Given by the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee (VANOC), the award recognizes the innovative efforts Games partners and sponsors are taking to be sustainable.
Richmond Olympic Oval Media Kit
