A New Development

For many people the 2010 Winter Olympics were about sportsmanship and competition, athletes competing at the highest level for their respective counties. For those of us living in Vancouver at the time leading up to winter 2010, it was also about rapid development of infrastructure, with buildings going up constantly, and the Olympic Village is a great example of that growth.

1181 Athletes Way, Vancouver BC, Arthur Erickson, architect, 2009
You can see this image in my printed portfolio video here and also on my website, so click-through to have a look. I chose black and white to enhance the overall shape of the taper, and also added the mountains into the composition to give context. The 2:1 ratio crop gives focus to the shot, sort of dragging the eye across a wider field of view to stop at various points of interest along the image.

Designed by renowned architect Arthur Erickson and partners, the tapering design is inspired by the hull of ships, and the panelling, fish scales, that all reflect light at slightly different angles making for beautiful reflections. This is the signature building of what was called “athletes village” during the games and acted as housing for various international competitors and their teams. After the Olympics finished, the site was re-purposed into housing for single or small family occupancy, complete with a new seawall walking area, community centre, library and preschool.

For these reasons, to me the project is a success in that the development has revitalised the area and added an affordable housing element to lower False Creek, which before was a mix of various unused industrial lots and warehouses.The entire area provides great architectural photography opportunities, and I will be visiting again to do some serious shooting next time I’m back to visit. If you get the chance to come to Vancouver, I hope you do as well.