With only two more days until the opening of the 2010 Olympic Games, Vancouver is an exciting place to be (so long as you are not in a car). The buzz, mounting as people flood into the pedestrian friendly streets full of art installations and photo opportunities. I think I am most excited about the people watching, to witness the city transform and of course all of the (free) cultural events. The world is here.
It was announced that the Olympics have won the bronze medal for their efforts in environmental sustainability efforts. The David Suzuki Foundation praised organizers for building energy-efficient venues, using clean-energy sources, relying on public transit during the Games, and offsetting part of the event’s emissions. The first Olympics to take such an integrated approach. They fell short in communicating these efforts: To date the 2010 Olympic organisers haven’t made the most of their opportunities to tell the story of their climate initiatives to Canadians and the world.
Riding past the Olympic Village is a beautiful feeling as I now sense the huge accomplishment felt by all those involved, thousands of workers poured their blood and sweat into the development. The Olympic Village represents so much of what is possible in the realm of building and community. So much was learned. Segue to The Challenge Series, an educational publication about the planning, designing and building of the Village. Broken into seven chapters that each cover a different topic, the narratives focus on the challenges we face in light of climate change and in pursuit of sustainability (including all pillars). It focuses not only the urban design strategies and technological innovations (eg. district energy, rain water catchment, radiant heating and cooling) but also on the people who were involved in the project.
Of course more could have been done in terms of communicating all of the sustainability efforts, and it still can. Measuring or quantifying sustainability is like aiming at a moving target and is something that can only emerge over time. I am, like so many others, curious to see how the city recovers after all is said and done. These 12 short days have changed so much already.
On another note, not to be missed is work by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer – Vectorial Elevation:
Vectorial Elevation is an interactive artwork that allows participants to transform the sky over Vancouver, Canada. Using a three-dimensional interface, this web site lets you design huge light sculptures by directing 20 robotic searchlights located around English Bay. A web page is made for each participant with photos of their design from four cameras located around the city.
Amazing photos of the interactive installation can be seen at vancouverisawesome.com, while the offical CODE live website where you can add your own design is here.
