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ARCHITECTURE, ART, DESIGN & BUILT ENVIRONMENTS

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THEN & NOW: 8 KEY HISTORICAL OLYMPIC VILLAGES & VENUES

Article by Guest, filed under Cities & Urbanism in the Architecture category




One of the reasons cities compete so savagely over the Olympic games in spite of
the amount of debt that it can plunge them into is the opportunity to completely
transform their infrastructure as well as their global image. Atlanta completely
rebuilt their international image around being an Olympic city after 1996, no
matter how poorly-executed the Games were, and human rights violations or not,
Beijing seems determined to do the same not only for their city, but the
country, as well. The trend is only accelerating–in addition to cities that can
lend credibility to the Olympics, like London and Chicago, the list of future
hosts and bidders also offers Doha, Quatar, and Rio De Janiero, who seek
international legitimacy from the IOC. The past has some cautionary tales for
these hopefuls, however.



Sarajevo






(images via: James and Marketa)

 

Sarajevo is almost forgotten as an Olympic host now, largely as a result of the
destruction and hard economic conditions brought on by the Bosnian civil war. It
was during this time, just eight years after the winter Olympics had left town,
that the city found itself on the receiving end of the longest siege in military
history, being mercilessly shelled, and with Olympic venues being turned into
battlefields. Almost any reminder of the Games is gone now, and the surviving
ruins are slowly being replaced as the city tries vainly to grow beyond its war
wounds more than ten years later.

Atlanta









(images via: Georgia Tech)

Atlanta underwent a construction boom in the early 1990s, financed by the
television contract for the 1996 games. While many of the sites had temporary
features, or were merely re-purposed– the University of Georgia’s Sanford
Stadium held a portion of the football tournament, and 3/4 of the Olympic
Stadium was torn down to become the new home of the Atlanta Braves–many others
were absorbed into the city’s institutions of higher learning. Both Georgia
State University and Georgia Tech took over parts of the Olympic Village for
student dormitories, and the aquatics facility gave the Yellow Jacket swim team
one of the finest homes in the nation. It’s worth noting that while the stadium
was torn down, the Olympic Torch still stands off of I-75 near
Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, a testament to the city’s moment in the world
spotlight.

 

Munich


(images via: Mariannain Regensburg Vox)

Munich, unfortunately, is not synonymous with the “Green Olympics” concept that
they pioneered, but the tragic death of several of Israeli athletes at the hands
of Palestinian terrorists. The place where the world watched a hostage situation
unfold later became student housing, but has since been approved to be torn
down. The larger Olympiapark area, however, is still in use by the community as
a recreational area, and features some of the city’s finest architecture in a
sweeping silver skyline.

Athens



(images via: BBC)

Athens is notable for hosting two incarnations of the modern Olympics, and
perhaps more astoundingly, using the same venue twice. Panathinaiko Stadium, the
home of the 1896 track and field events, as well as the finish line for the
marathon, also featured several field competitions and the start of the 2004
marathon. The (significantly!) larger Olympic Stadium has since been converted,
like many others, into a FIFA 4-star stadium, and remains in use as a sporting
facility.

Moscow

(images via: Wikipedia)

The Moscow Games, which were largely a disappointment due the
Afghanistan-induced boycotts, feature some of the most uninspiring architecture
of the Olympic experience. Where the villages in Athens resembled Greek villas
and Sarajevo recalls a town in the Alps, the Soviet Union built
appropriately-imposing multistory towers and the Luzhniki Stadium recalls the
horrendous multipurpose stadia of the time in the U.S.–most of which have fallen
to a wrecking ball since.

Montreal


(images via: Wikipedia)

Montreal is a the prime example of an Olympic Games hurting a city, as the 1978
Games paved a road to long-term financial pain for the capital of Quebec. The
Olympic Stadium, with a soaring tower meant to control the blue retractable
roof, wasn’t completed until 1987, and even then the roof was impossible to
maintain in winds over 25 miles an hour. Conditions only worsened, as in 1991, a
large chunk of the tower fell into the facility, and in 1999 a 350 square meter
section collapsed. Only recently paid off in full, the Games and the Stadium
both became known as the “Big Owe” for citizens of Montreal.

Beijing




(images via: BCOG)

Beijing offers what is plainly the most architecturally daring and complex
olympic experience ever; the national stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, and the
swimming facility, which lights up in a similar fashion to FC Bayern’s Allianz
Arena, are certain to be an inspiration to designers worldwide, even in spite of
the black eye China is getting with respect to human rights violations in the
run-up to the Games. The towers pictured above are residences at the Olympic
sailing venue, designed to inspire thoughts of full sails.

London And Beyond





(images via: London 2012 and Chicago 2016)

Planning for the next Olympic host is well underway, with construction in London
setting new goals for the Olympic experience; London, obviously not in need of
another major stadium to maintain after the Games, has elected to build a
completely temporary facility around a smaller, 25,000 seat community stadium.
Chicago, one of the leading bidders for the 2016 games, has promised to follow
this model as well. It’s speculated that the IOC is encouraging this
development, as it would transform the Olympic Games from a status symbol for
rich nations to a traveling festival that can take root in any number of nations
that would be far better served by the mandatory improvements in infrastructure.

GOLD METAL ARCHITECTURE: OLYMPIC STADIUMS, 1896 – 2012

From 1896 to 2012, here are some attentio-grabbing standout structures of the
Olympic Games including stadiums, velodromes, aquatics centers, towers and more.

POST-OLYMPIC ABANDONMENT: SOCHI ALREADY ON THE ROAD TO RUIN

The Olympics have a long history of leaving a mixed legacy in their wake but the
story of Sochi is particularly strange - it was never completely finished in the
first place, and is already nearly abandoned less than a year after it hosted
the Winter Games of 2014. Already located in…

GAMES OFF: ARTISTIC ECHOES OF THE LOST OLYMPIC GAMES

The nostalgic glimpses of alternative Olympic history presented here were
designed to glorify Mankind's competitive spirit in a utopian world untainted by
war.


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