Richmond Olympic Oval

When the City of Richmond was named the long-track speed skating venue for Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympic Games, they called for a landmark building that would showcase local wood and accommodate legacy use.

Fast + Epp rose to the challenge, designing a roof structure that was the result of extensive field research into Olympic ovals in Lillehammer, Salt Lake City and Calgary. Alongside Structure Craft, we proposed a world first – sweeping longspan timber-steel hybrid arches, which would support captivating ‘Wood Wave’ panels made from simple pine-beetle-kill 2×4 lumber.

This vision for the roof – still recognizable from an initial sketch – came a step closer to reality when a parking garage below the building was introduced. By extending concrete buttresses up through the lower floors, the concrete structure could be used to resist the outward thrust of the arches. Thus, we avoided visually-heavy tie rods and large overturning forces on the soft, liquefiable foundation soils.

The structure conceals all mechanical and electrical services within the hybrid arches, creating striking, uncluttered architectural expression. Meanwhile, the perforated panel structure yielded outstanding acoustic performance, making the entire structure a truly integrated design.