cannon design: richmond olympic oval

the vancouver 2010 olympics are fast approaching, but many of the event venues are already completed, including the richmond olympic oval by cannon design. the six-acre building sits on the fraser river near vancouver and demonstrates the sustainability standards for the games. the building received a silver LEED certification, thanks in part to its clever use of locally sourced wood that was affected by the mountain pine beetle infestation. the design features three levels and seating for up to 8,000 spectators. the roof is the venue’s most striking feature, with a wave formation that is one of the world’s largest clearspan wooden structures. the building also collects rainwater for re-use throughout. the venue was completed in 2008 and will continue to bee used as a multi-purpose sport facility once the vancouver games are completed.

from Designboom - Weblog

Vancouver 2010 Promises Greenest Olympic Games Ever

From the world’s largest hydrogen bus fleet to a six-acre multi-use Olympic Oval, British Columbia appears determined to host the “greenest games ever” in Vancouver come February. The city has constructed a series of stunning sustainably-built structures in preparation for upcoming events, and has also kicked off its naturally:wood website, which offers a free digital tool kit for Building Green with Wood and insight into how BC’s sustainable forestry helps LEED the way for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Read on for just a few of the Olympic buildings boasting impressive LEED certification standards.

from Inhabitat » Architecture by Kevin Gardner

Zamet Centre / 3LHD

Situated in Rijeka’s quarter Zamet, the new Zamet Centre in complete size of 16830 m2 hosts various facilities: sports hall with max 2380 seats, local community offices, library, 13 retail and service spaces and a garage with 250 parking spaces. One third of the sports hall’s volume is cut in the ground, and the rest of the Centre is fully fitted into the surrounding landscape. The building’s main architectural element are ribbon-like linear stripes stretching over the site in a north-south direction, functioning at the same time as an architectural design element of the object and as a zoning element which forms a public square and a link between the park on the north and school and B. Vidas street on the south.

© Domagoj Blazevic
from Arch Daily by David Basulto

Centro Insular de Atletismo de Tenerife / AMP

In the neighborhood of Tinca, located on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and close to the boundaries that define the mountains and the highway lies the new Centro Insular de Atletismo de Tenerife, a project of monumental scale, reflecting the volcanic origin the formalization of a crater whose sides are set by the weight of the gigantic volcanic rocks that cover, to form an evocative image of a pyroclastic cone. By means of a unified and resounding, resolves a program that integrates different applications, unifying under a stone mantle. At the same time, the performance demands its iconic value for its size, while minimizing impact to the environment. The crater provides a new public space outside stone finish high irregular basalt from establishing a visual relationship with the Atlantic Ocean. Inside develop various facilities including a high performance center, a gym, locker rooms, warm-up track, press room, and a screening room and conference open to the indoor space via a movable partitions, with up to 200 people.

from Plataforma Arquitectura by Giuliano Pastorelli

Sports Hall / Substance

When the Jurmala City Council asked Substance to build a sports venue for the popular Latvian sea resort, the firm designed a structure that could be open all year long in any weather. Inspired by the amber - crystallised resin of pine typically washed up on the Baltic coast, the venue’s form incorporates translucent polycarbonate cladding inside a structural framework to accentuate the building’s varying height.

from Arch Daily by Karen Cilento

Herzog & de Meuron’s “Bird’s Nest” Wins RIBA Lubetkin Prize

The National Stadium in Beijing - nicknamed ‘the bird’s nest’ - by Herzog & de Meuron, with the China Architectural Design and research Group, Arup Sport and Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong, and artist Ai Wei Wei, has scooped the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) prestigious Lubetkin Prize for the most outstanding work of architecture outside the European Union by an RIBA member.

from Bustler.net News by Vanilla Hustler

BP architecture: gymnase

BP architecture designed this small gymnasium for a school in paris’ 19th. the building was designed as a separate structure from the school, providing a sheltered space for a variety of activities ranging from sports to special receptions. two inclined slopes make up the gym’s roof, providing a minimum clearance of 5 m while funneling rain water. the north and south face reamin luminous with large walls of glass, while the side are concrete dotted with thin windows and lights in different colours. the glass walls are affixed with wooden louvers that can block the harsh sun while keeping light inside.

from Designboom - Weblog