Whistler Athletes' Village

Location

1251 Cheakamus Lake Road

Whistler, British Columbia

Canada

V0N 1B4

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Certifications & Awards
  • LEED-ND (registered)
Project Team

Summary

The Whistler Athletes' Village will be comprised of five main components: the residential zone, international zone, the transport mall, a main catering facility, and operations support area. Facilities will include team areas, multi-faith religious centre, clinics, recreation facilities, retail space, a 24-hour catering facility, warehousing, drivers' lounge, office space, support space and village media centre. The full area will cover 30 hectares (75 acres) and be approximately 1 million square feet in size, half of that allocated to housing, it will house 2,400 athletes and support staff.

Description

Scheduled for completion by the summer of 2009, the Whistler Olympic Village will include 250 new housing units, with space for as many 2,400 athletes and coaches. The Athletes' Village will be located a few miles south of Whistler, in the Cheakamus Valley, about 20 minutes away from the main competition sites. Nightly medal ceremonies will occur in the centre of Whistler Village. And just like its Vancouver counterpart, Whistler's Olympic Village will be designed according to high standards for sustainable development, with a minimum of LEED Silver certification.

Infrastructure work has been underway since last year, while building construction is expected to begin this March. Completion is set for Summer 2009.

Sustainability Features

The neighbourhood is designed to qualify as a Gold Level certification under the new LEED Neighbourhood Development (ND) rating system. The project is developed on a brownfield site making use of lands that were previously a landfill. The project also focused on preserving secondary growth forest and nearby wetlands. Once complete, the Olympic and Paralympic Village Whistler will have the highest neighbourhood density in the Whistler area, a facet that has enhanced the certification of the neighbourhood under the LEED for ND pilot scheme. An additional sustainability highlight is the Village’s innovative energy system: the neighbourhood will receive up to 90 per cent of the energy needed for heating and domestic hot water requirements by capturing waste heat from the nearby waste water treatment plant, substantially decreasing the electrical and natural gas requirements of the community.

It is designed to protect and enhance the natural wetlands in the region. Storm water rain gardens have been designed to detain rainwater run-off and care has been taken to preserve the natural surroundings. The project contains an innovative storm water management system, using a network of roadside rain gardens, swales and sediment ponds to ensure no net impact on the water flow or quality in the nearby Cheakamus River.

One of only 20 Canadian developments designated as a pilot project for LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design - Neighbourhood Development). The LEED-ND program currently sets the highest standards in green neighbourhood design practices.

Size of Development: 23 hectares/ 56 acres

Types of Units (approximate numbers): -152 townhomes / duplexes -67 condominiums -55 hostel units -55 Whistler Housing Authority rental units -20 market townhomes