About the Oval

The Richmond Olympic Oval is a breathtaking venue on the banks of the Fraser River and winner of the Institution of Structural Engineers top award for Sports or Leisure Structures.

Home to long track speed skating during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the Oval re-opened to public programming April 1, 2010. The facility’s Olympic Legacy conversion is scheduled for completion by this summer and will offer an inspiring environment for all ages and skill levels to progress toward their own personal podiums.

Design

It has been built on a site beside the Fraser River, a few blocks away from Lansdowne Station on the Canada Line. From the air, it is the first Olympic venue many visitors will see flying into the Vancouver, and the roof takes the stylized native shape of a heron's wing, a tribute to the Salish First Nation and the large wading bird that cohabited the riverbank at first European contact 230 years ago. It is a 33,750 m² facility, including a 20,000 m² main floor that includes a 400 m refrigerated track. It can accommodate 8,000 spectators. The Oval was built to qualify the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Scale (LEED) Silver certification; for example, the Oval's refrigeration plant is designed to heat other areas of the building through the utilization of what is otherwise waste heat from cooling the ice surface.

A distinctive feature of the Richmond Oval is its unique "wood wave" roof. This roof, which is one of the longest clear spans in North America, includes one million board feet of B.C. pine-beetle kill wood linked together in undulating sections to create a rippled effect. These one of a kind wood panels were designed by structural engineers Fast + Epp and constructed at the design build firm StructureCraft Builders Inc. in Delta, B.C. As a result, the Oval was given an award of excellence in architectural innovation by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada specifically for the innovative use of pine beetle-killed wood in its ceiling.

Outside, there is a sculptural environment designed by artist Janet Echelman with a pond filled with water that is collected from rain water falling on the roof, that will serve as a gathering space and water supply for irrigating surrounding landscapes, and for flushing toilets. A 91 metre (300 foot) boardwalk weaves through the pond and two 16 metre (52 foot) pedestrian bridges cross the pond to reach the Olympic Oval. Above the pond hangs the artist's "sky lantern" sculpture, Water Sky Garden. The sculpture is made of Tenara architectural fibre, supported by painted galvanized steel rings. The entire garden is approximately 7,000 m² (75,000 sq ft). A fountain designed as part of the public art program, which will include pieces designed that was created by local Musqueam artist, Susan Point, will re-oxygenate the pond. All hardwood trees that were cut during site preparation were salvaged and are currently stored, awaiting milling for building re-use in the panelling, flooring, furnishings or additional landscaping features.

The remainder of the building structure was designed by structural engineers Glotman.Simpson Consulting Engineers. Some items of interest included the design for a flat ice surface and the architectural piers used to support the roof structure.

The principal and lead project architect is Bob Johnston of Cannon Design, who was involved in the design of both the Calgary and Salt Lake City tracks.