As the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games are upon us, lets take a moment to appreciate some of the architecture that helps make it all happen. Beginning with the first Olympic games in 776 BC in Athens, these stadiums house the world’s top athletic competitions. However, building for the Olympics has always had its unique set of challenges. In recent years, there has been controversy about the politics and ethics involved in funding and constructing these buildings.
Facing these challenges head on, architects have made some of the most remarkable and innovative structures for the Olympic Games. They draw from each country’s rich history of athletic competition and merge this with the most advanced engineering and structural innovations available. Buildings, along with the athletes, become symbols of national pride. The best designs last long after the games have ended, morphing into sports complexes, schools, or community centers as architects anticipate the long term needs of the nation.
Images via Archdaily
Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei, Beijing, China
The design for the Bird’s Nest originated from Chinese ceramics, and incorporated steel beams across the top to support a retractable roof (later removed in the design). The building consists of two structures: the porous “nest”, acting as a shaded gathering spot, and the nested bowl which housed the majority of the programming during the 2008 Olympic Games.
Beijing National Aquatics Center (Watercube) by PTW Architects, Beijing, China
In this piece of symbolic architecture, the cube is meant to represent the earth, and the bubbles covering the cube evoke water. This building complements the Bird’s Nest, which as a circle represents heaven. The pool itself is said to be one of the fastest Olympic pools in the world due to its depth, allowing waves to dissipate around the swimmer.
London Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects, London, United Kingdom
One of the main construction methods used to accelerate the building of the London Aquatics Centre was the use of precast concrete elements. Main flooring and spectator structures were cast off-site and brought in to be assembled on-site.
Images via OpenBulidings
Basketball Arena by Wilkinson Eyre Architects & KSS Design Group, London, United Kingdom
The London Basketball Arena was designed to be fully disassembled after the Olympics. Instead of a concrete substructure, the building is constructed from a steel portal frame and wrapped in lightweight, phthalate-free, recyclable PVC Plastic. It was used in the 2012 Summer Olympics and by January 2013 it had been fully dismantled, and materials sold.
Olympic Shooting Venue by Magma Architecture, London, United Kingdom
Erected at the historic Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, the façade of the Olympic Shooting Venue is dominated by extruded colored circles that provide both structural support as well as ventilation.
Images via Buildipedia
Lee Valley VeloPark by Hopkins Architects, London, United Kingdom
The architects wanted to make this track cycling venue, or velodrome, as much like a bike as possible, trim and rid of anything superfluous. The track itself was constructed from sustainably sourced Syberian pine and continues in operation today.
Images via World Build 365
Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
And finally we get to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. Most of the political drama of the games has, unsurprisingly, played out within the realm of architecture. The Olympic Aquatics Stadium is supposed to be a bastion among the controversy, designed as one of the more sustainable arenas in the Barra Olympic Park.
