Olympic Village

The Vancouver Olympic Village development has transformed seven hectares of urban industrial land into a vibrant sustainable community. The project comprises residential, commercial, heritage restoration, community facilities, outdoor naturalised areas and public space including two parks, a central plaza, a habitat restoration ‘island’ and a recreational waterfront promenade. The Olympic Village site is part of South East False Creek, the last remaining large-scale waterfront property adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown peninsula. From its historic role as a centre of heavy industry, the lands are being rejuvenated under the guidance of two decades of city authority as a model neighbourhood founded on the four pillars of sustainable community building – acknowledging social, economic and cultural values alongside a deep respect for the environment. 1.4 million square feet of built space was all undertaken in the context of a rejuvenated urban framework and a new utility infrastructure. The Vancouver Olympic Village is a test-bed for the implementation of sustainability driven planning and design practices that are unprecedented in the local industry. As a result of this project there is a renewed conviction that livability, manifested as social, environmental and economic sustainability, is fundamental to successful community building.