The Vancouver Olympic Village development has transformed 12 acres of industrial land into a model sustainable community. The entire completed project was awarded LEED Platinum for Neighbourhood, the most sustainable community in North America in the winter of 2010. The project comprises residential, commercial, heritage restoration, community facilities, outdoor naturalised areas and public space including two parks, a central plaza, a habitat restoration ‘island’ and a recreational waterfront promenade.
The Olympic Village site is part of South East False Creek, the last remaining large-scale waterfront property adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown peninsula. From its historic role as a centre of heavy industry, the lands are being rejuvenated under the guidance of two decades of city authority as a model neighbourhood founded on the four pillars of sustainable community building-acknowledging social, economic and cultural values alongside a deep respect for the environment.
The neighbourhood’s built form reflects the desire to create a socially and environmentally sustainable community through considered design. Residential buildings are low and mid-rise blocks configured around courtyards, parks, plazas and a public waterfront, stimulating health and wellbeing through strong connections to the outdoors and strategic interface with neighbours.
