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Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park – design, construction, operations CCSAA Convention April 15 – 17, 2009 John Aalberg, Director Whistler Olympic Park. ABOUT John Aalberg: Born Norwegian, now US Citizen, residing in Canada Skier, runner and 2 x Olympian Computer Engineer
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Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park – design, construction, operations CCSAA Convention April 15 – 17, 2009John Aalberg, Director Whistler Olympic Park
ABOUT John Aalberg: Born Norwegian, now US Citizen, residing in Canada Skier, runner and 2 x Olympian Computer Engineer “Sport designer & consultant”– venues, trails & athletes in 3 continents Organizer of large sport events, such as 2002 Games in SLC
History of the Callaghan Valley Land Use History Logging Mining Forestry Land Use Today Fishing Hunting Camping First Nations Traditional Territory Commercial and Private Outdoor Recreation
Callaghan Valley – Olympic venue Callaghan Valley was chosen due to the ideal: Location Weather Conditions Elevation Snow Quality and Quantity Distance from Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village: 14 km West of the Whistler Athlete Village
Elevation:840 m - 930 m (2800 – 3100 ft) Size:262 hectares in size, only 42 hectares are utilized for the Games Snow: Upper Callaghan Valley registers over 12 meters of snow fall on a yearly basis;average snow pack in end of February and March at venue is approximately 2.5 meters Key Facts about the venue
Vision the challenge How to best combine (and prioritize): • Olympic/Paralympic Games • Recreation and Destination • Sport Development
Vision design objectives • Create a brand and a story • Create a “Mecca” for Nordic skiers • Be and remain multi-sport non-exclusivity • Preserve the nature & the wilderness • Create “something for everyone” • Be the venue with the best trails for events, training and destination skiers “add-ons” to come later
Vision how to implement • Listen to many groups Be open to non traditional views • Work with neighbours, towns and clubs Create “ownerships” • Be flexible in the design “non binding” • Build safe, consistent, fun and high quality trails • Incorporate key Legacy items - Nice Day Lodge - Recreational/beginner trails - Operational decisions
Vision Operational Objectives 1. Provide optimal conditions for Games Readiness and Preparation • For VANOC and for Canada’s Olympic Teams 2. Organize Test and Training events • Test FOP, train volunteers, manage risks and be prepared to provide excellent Games’ competitions • Build post-Games interest; prepare for legacy • Leverage Games and build expertise, media attention, market share and reputation.
Design - Main Facility requirements • Day Lodge –10,000 sq ft • Maintenance Building –6,000 sq ft • Biathlon Event Buildings –5,000 sq ft • Cross-Country Event Buildings –5,000 sq ft • Ski Jump Judges’ Tower –2,500 sq ft • Ski Jump hills (HS 140, HS 106) • Cross-Country stadium & competition trails (10 km) • Biathlon stadium, range & competition trail ( 4 km) • Recreational trails (35 km)
Design - Other Facilities • Internal roads • Parking lots (many) – for Games’ operations • Waste Water plant • Water treatment and pumps • Water reservoir • BC Hydro/electrical facilities • Bell Cell Tower • IT Communication Systems • Snowmaking for Ski Jumps/Snow play area
The Whistler Olympic Park Stadiums Cross Country Ski Jumping Biathlon
Permanent Structures Ski Jumps Maintenance Daylodge Cross Country
Olympic Area – 1 km2
All trails Total trails: 50 - 55km Green: 25% Blue: 50% Black: 25%
Key Contractors (8) Newhaven Construction Constructed the XC Tech Building, Biathlon Building, Maintenance Building and the Daylodge Legacy Building RBV - Resource Business Ventures Bridges, Warm-up trails, Access Roads, Misc. Utilities, Landscaping, Recreational Trails, Secondary Communications and Lighting, Final Grade and Paving of Trails, Final Grade and Paving of Roads, Misc. Sport Structures EAC - Emil Anderson South Site Works and theSki Jump Structures EPCOR Waste Water Treatment Plant Systems Water Treatment Plant Systems Sandwell Engineering Design Services Bell Primary Communications BC Hydro Primary Power Doppelmayr CTEC Chairlift
Environmental Stewardship at Whistler Olympic / Paralympic Park
Environmental Assessment Process • Electing to participate in both federal and provincial environmental assessment processes concurrently (provincial process was not technically required) • Third party environmental monitors are in place on an ongoing basis to monitor the environmental conditions of the venues before, during and after construction as well as during operations
Venue Development – A Light Touch • Smart site selection – venue built in already disturbed area, resulting in lower environmental impact • Site is located adjacent to a former mine in a previously harvested forest • Use of existing logging/mining/skid roads for ~25 per cent of the legacy trail network
Smaller Footprint • The core venue footprint for Whistler Olympic Park is ~35% smaller than the original design • Design changes were made to avoid disturbing old growth forest and wetlands (E.g. relocation of ski jump) • Significantly reduced number of stream crossings by roads and ski trails compared to initial designs • Minimized vegetation clearing on the site, including preservation of tree islands and soft edging
Protecting Streams and Wetlands • Extended riparian (buffer) areas help protect on-site streams and wetlands • Development of the core competition venue affected 1.8 hectares of in-stream and riparian habitat • With a goal of no net loss, VANOC mitigated this impact by protecting extended riparian setbacks totalling 32 hectares • This represents impact mitigation through habitat protection at a 16:1 ratio –For every 1 hectare impacted, 16 hectares were protected