Winter Olympics organisers reveal progress of venue construction
Organisers of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, have updated Sports Management on the construction progress of the seven new competition venues and other facilities being built for the Games.
South Korean architecture, construction and engineering firm Taeyoung have designed the facilities for the Olympics, which will be gathered around two main mountain clusters – the Alpensia resort for the outdoor sports and the coastal city of Gangneung for the indoor events.
Five existing facilities will also be used to host events such as ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
A new high speed railway will be completed in June 2017 to link the sites with each other, the two Olympic villages being created for the Games, and Incehon Airport in Seoul.
Meanwhile, new spectator accommodation – including Richard Meier’s Seamarq Hotel and Planning Korea’s plankton-inspired Gangneung Resort Hotel – have been built to support the Games and regenerate the region.
Landscape architects SWA have masterplanned the cluster so that the new courses seemingly extend from their respective stadia into the surrounding terrain and adjacent unbuilt valleys. To maintain the natural beauty of the hilly forested site, the design team “pursued a compact, walkable development pattern, minimal grading, reforestation, and waterway restoration.”
They have also added practice ski jumps and a three-lift recreational ski area to the site. In summer, the stadia can be used for off-season training, while much of the terrain will become an 18-hole golf course.
Name: Jeongseon Alpine Centre
Sports: Alpine Skiing – Downhill, Super-GCourse length: 2,852m (Men), 2,388m (Women)
Capacity: 6,500Construction progress: 69.5 per cent
Expected completion: October 2016Consultant: former ski jumper Bernhard Russi
Name: Alpensia Sliding Centre
Sports: Bobsleigh, Skeleton, LugeCourse length: 2,018m
Capacity: 7,500Construction progress: 88.3 per cent
Expected completion: October 2016Construction firm: Daelim
Name: Olympic Plaza (for opening and closing ceremonies)
Capacity: 50,000 (temporary venue to be dismantled after the Games)Construction progress: 14 per cent
Expected completion: September 2017
Name: PyeongChang Olympic VillageFacilities: Hotels, restaurants, shops, entertainment venues and condominiums
Capacity: 3,500 athletes Construction progress: 30 per cent
Expected completion: September 2017Masterplan architect: Brent Thompson Architects
Name: International Broadcasting Centre
Construction progress: 19.9 per centExpected completion: April 2017
Name: Gangneung Ice Arena
Sports: Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating, Ice DanceCapacity: 12,500
Construction progress: 91.4 per centExpected completion: November 2016
Name: Gangneung Oval
Sports: Speed SkatingCapacity: 8,000
Construction progress: 73.4 per centExpected completion: January 2017
Name: Gangneung Hockey Centre
Sports: Ice HockeyCapacity: 10,000
Construction progress: 91.4 per centExpected completion: November 2016
Name: Kwandong Hockey Centre
Sports: Ice HockeyCapacity: 6,000
Construction progress: 93 per centExpected completion: October 2016
Name: Gangneung Olympic Village
Construction progress: 28 per centExpected completion: September 2017
Name: Gangneung Media Village
Construction progress: 32 per centExpected completion: September 2017
• Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre• Alpensia Biathlon Centre
• Alpensia Cross-Country Skiing Centre• Yongpyong Alpine Centre
• Bokwang Snow Park
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