And you thought the Olympics were all about sports

by Jim Sutherland

Even given the performances of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, it’s possible the most enduring memories of Beijing’s 2008 Olympics won’t be athletic achievements at all, but rather architectural ones: the venues Phelps and Bolt excelled in, especially the Water Cube and Bird’s Nest Stadium.

VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE EXPANSION Not entirely a thing of beauty from the street? But a beautiful solution to the problem of where to put a convention centre? Photo courtesy DA Architects/Planners

Yet with its 2010 Olympics, Vancouver hasn’t been going for architectural gold; there have been no competitions and no big-name international architects. Still, the result is several impressive facilities that, if not quite world-beating, absolutely warrant inspection. The annoying irony is, until long after the Olympics are over, there will be no way to see many of them except from a distance. Try to sneak in for a look at the athletes village or convention centre expansion this February and the interior you’ll be checking out instead might be the local equivalent of Guantanamo.

That’s where a Vancouver show that opens February 8 comes in. The little gallery attached to the offices of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia is almost always an interesting place, but its “Bien Venue: 2010 Games Architecture” is shaping up to be something of a blockbuster. The biggest show the gallery has ever mounted highlights 20 competition and non-competition venues and the role of B.C. architects in designing them. There are drawings, models and photographs. And after viewing the exhibit people will be able to make their own, entirely subjective, picks of the Games’ most important venues, as I’ve done below:

Top 5 Architecture Medallists, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games

1. The Athletes’ Village Among the most environmentally sustainable communities on the planet, Vancouver’s Athletes’ Village is designed to achieve “net zero,” meaning it will produce as much energy as it consumes. (For the sake of their future tax bills, Vancouverites hope the bailed-out development also achieves net zero in terms of the money invested.) Curious what the buildings look like inside? Stop into the adjacent sales centre, pretend you’re interested in a $1,000-a-square-foot condo, and tour the display suites.

Photographer Hubert Kang / Courtesy of Cannon Design

2. Richmond Speed Skating Oval With that amazing arched roof made from pine-beetle-damaged wood, it’s as much an engineering marvel as an architectural one.

3. The Woodwards complex Okay, this isn’t an Olympics venue (though it might not have happened had the Games not landed here, in Vancouver) and it’s not part of the AIBC show, but it’s only a block away so walk over and check it out — particularly the Stan Douglas photo installation in the main courtyard. Keep in mind that less than five years ago, the derelict department store centred what was virtually a no-go zone, and prepare to be stunned at the transformation both on site and in the surrounding neighbourhood.

4. Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion (media centre) Some feel it’s not entirely a thing of beauty from the street, but it’s a beautiful solution to the problem of where to put a convention centre and quite a sight – both inside, where wood is the star, and from above, with that vast green roof.

FOUR HOST FIRST NATIONS PAVILION The most ambitious of the 2010 Olympic Games' temporary pavilions? Photo courtesy Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects/Urbanistes

5. Four Host First Nations Pavilion The most ambitious of the temporary pavilions and a prime example of the innovative work Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects has been doing for First Nations clients.

6. A bonus selection that’s even farther offside than Woodwards, the Millenium Line: I know, it’s the Canada Line that was built for the Olympics, and it’s become an instant hit, with ridership much higher than expected. But stations on the turn-of-the-century Millenium Line are the precursor to all that creative and progressive use of wood seen in so many of the Olympic venues. Plus, unlike the mostly underground Canada Line, it’s a true Skytrain, travelling at rooftop level with great views of the snow-capped (we hope) North Shore mountains.