Olympic Athletes Village, Whistler, British Columbia

BHA worked in partnership with Ekistics Town Planning, to develop the Master Plan for the Whistler Athlete Village for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The vision was to build a permanent village that would give athletes from around the globe a ‘taste of Whistler’ experience that would then be transformed into a Legacy Village for future Whistler residents.

The residential design responds to the mountainous landscape and is designed to be environmentally sensitive.  Important landscape features, views and solar access were preserved and incorporated into the design.  The Athlete Village accommodated 3,064 athletes and officials in a variety of housing types within a compact, walkable neighbourhood.  After the Olympics the site was transformed into a mixed-use neighbourhood with resident restricted housing.

Considerations for the Atletes and the Future

All of the accommodation requirements in the village were met through the construction of permanent residential units.  For the Games, each unit was temporarily outfitted for the needs of the athletes, including physiotherapy rooms, equipment storage areas and team meeting facilities.  At the centre of the development is the Village core.

Permanent facilities include the Athlete Training centre, a hotel, hostel, retail space, a restaurant and meeting facilities.  The majority of the units were pre-sold to Whistler residents as deed-restricted units designed to provide more affordable accommodation.