Greening the 2010 Vancouver Olympics

(May 5, 2008) Two years from now, Vancouver hopes to show the world what it means to host a sustainable Olympics. Part of that program is a truly impressive commitment to green building for all of their venues and facilities.

While detractors may quibble over whether such a monumental display of wealth and excess (even the nosebleed seats at the Opening Ceremonies cost $175, with Category A seats rising to $1100) could ever really be considered sustainable, there is no doubt that the Organizing Committee is trying.

Today at the Vancouver Green Living show, Linda Coady, Vice President, Sustainability for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be discussing the sustainability program for the 2010 Winter Games.

Olympic heights
Some of the highlights for the greening of the 2010 Olympics include:

Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park
Site of: Curling, Wheelchair curling
Post-Games Use: Multipurpose community recreation centre and library
Green Highlights: Targeting LEED Gold certification*; waste heat from refrigeration plant to heat other buildings and adjacent aquatic centre

Richmond Oval
Site of: Speed skating
Post-Games Use: International centre for excellence for sports and wellness
Green Highlights: Targeting LEED Silver certification*; ground source heat pump (geothermal) for ice plant energy; onsite wetland for storm water treatment; rainwater collection for irrigation, ice making and toilet flushing; use of wood damaged by pine beetle infestation

UBC Winter Sports Centre
Site of: Ice Hockey, Ice Sledge Hockey
Post-Games Use: Recreational and high-performance multi-sport facility

Green Highlights: Targeting LEED Silver* equivalent; redeveloping an existing facility; waste heat recovery from refrigeration plant

Whistler Nordic Venue (Whistler Olympic Park)
Site of: Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping
Post-Games Use: Recreational and high-performance winter sports centre
Green Highlights: Sited adjacent to a former mine; minimized site disturbance; targeting LEED Silver certification* for Day Lodge

Whistler Sliding Centre
Site of: Bobsleigh, Luge, Skeleton
Post-Games Use: High-performance competition centre
Green Highlights: Sited adjacent to previously disturbed areas; targeting LEED Silver certification* for refrigeration plant building; waste heat recovery from refrigeration plant

Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Village
Post-Games Use: Model sustainable community, with market and affordable housing, parkland, offices, retail
Green Highlights: Targeting LEED Gold certification* for all buildings, with LEED Platinum targeted for Community Centre; sited on restored contaminated lands; District Energy System to serve village; creation of habitat corridors; storm water management, including bio-swales

Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village
Post-Games Use: Model sustainable community, affordable housing, athletes’ centre
Green Highlights: Part of LEED Neighbourhood Design pilot project*; capture and re-use of methane gas from municipal landfill; waste heat capture from municipal waste water treatment system; sited adjacent to disturbed area (former municipal landfill)

*LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is the leading green building certification system in North America, and takes into account sustainable site selection, water efficiency, energy use, protection of the atmosphere, use of environmentally friendly building materials, and indoor environmental quality. Projects are awarded certification based on a points system: Platinum is the highest level attainable, followed by Gold, Silver and Certified.

Mark Mallet is a LEED Accredited professional consultant and writer based in Vancouver. He specializes in the green building industry.





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