Vancouver 2010: Richmond Olympic Oval

The Richmond Olympic Oval is located on the banks of the Fraser River, 14 kilometres south of downtown Vancouver. Located in the northwest corner of Richmond, the Oval is across the river from the Vancouver International Airport and near Richmond city centre.

Venue Capacity : 7,600
Elevation : sea level

The venue is home to the 400-metre speed skating track. It will seat 8,000 fans and will be the site for 12 medal events, with 36 medals awarded.

The Oval will house the main anti-doping lab of the 2010 Winter Games.

A complete range of sports medicine and wellness services will be housed in the Oval, as well as retail and food services.

Post-Games, the Oval will become an international centre for high-performance athletes and a multi-use facility for the local community.

The Oval has four hardwood sport courts.

The venue also has an indoor rowing tank, a rowing machine and spin cycling studio, two group fitness studios and onsite child care.

Concrete buttresses on the Richmond Olympic Oval feature Coast Salish-themed sculptures of salmon, herons and the Fraser River by internationally acclaimed Musqueam artist Susan Point. Set in concrete runnels, the fish design carries stormwater from the roof onto the plaza and then into the Fraser River, diverting the water from the sewer system, making it environmentally friendly.

Along the eastern side of the Oval, the Water Sky Garden is abstractly symbolic of a Chinese Dragon Dance. It has shallow ponds, reeds and retention ponds that will feature underwater sculptures and water animation. Naturally filtered stormwater will slowly flow into the Fraser River.

Two sky lanterns that change shape in the wind are made of steel rings and flexible nets are 21.3 metres (70 feet) tall and 18.3 metres (60 feet) in diameter. These are inspired by the Nitobe Gardens at the University of British Columbia and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouvers Chinatown and the fishing cultures of Richmond. Boston-based artist Janet Echelman collaborated with Phillips, Farevaag, Smallenberg Landscape Architects and the Cannon Design team.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• vancouver
• 2010
• olympic
• winter
• games
• olympics
• paralympics
• whistler
• richmond
• bc
• british
• columbia
• canada
• speed
• skating
• stephen
• colbert
• the
• nation
• canadian
• athletes
• sustainability
• competition
• sports
• sport
• rowing
• community
• centre
• environment

[canucks4ever83]

It won an international award and outbeat the beijing stadium... so it must not be ugly.... at least if you were explaining why you found it ugly....

[canucks4ever83]

The span of an eagle... but you can only see it on certain angles

[chocough]

@canucks4ever83 how could this beat the beijing stadium? entirely incompatible

[PSUtotheBCS]

Canada is a epic fail to this earth

[vladzhuk]

beautiful building inside and outside

[doct0rthrill]

watch out this building sinks.

[vladzhuk]

gtfo

[doct0rthrill]

It looks like a warehouse from the outside.

[TheCanucksvideos]

Your ugly JELOUS PERSON!

[vancouverite1989]

Span of an heron actually.