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The 2024 Olympic Village as an answer to America's point access block problem

2024-07-01T11:21:00-04:00

Host cities through the decades, including Helsinki, Athens, London, Torin, Seoul, Barcelona, and most recently, Paris, have all used point access block housing that would be illegal to build in the U.S. When studying mixed-use Olympic Villages as a model for successful pedestrian-oriented development in the U.S., it becomes abundantly clear that major discrepancies exist between housing options in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

The endemic use of brick and natural stone in European apartment buildings versus their more combustible American counterparts is another factor underlying discrepancies architect Sean Jursnick herein describes as preventing the creation of better adaptable low-carbon multifamily designs in the country. It adds to another recent analysis of the point access block dilemma from the Center for Building in North America in May.

He says: “Reforming the building code and allowing for taller point access blocks, similar to Paris’ Olympic Village, is a great first step in unlocking high-performance housing.” The A/C-less dorms will house up to 14,250 athletes and support staff during the games before transitioning into permanent housing for 6,000 in the ailing Saint-Denis suburb.

SOM has been selected to design Milan's Olympics village ahead of the 2026 winter games

2021-07-16T15:24:00-04:00

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have been selected to plan the Olympic village ahead of the 2026 winter games in Milan following a huge announcement from COIMA SGR and other local planning authorities responsible for the development.

SOM will design the games’ athletes village, which is part of a larger masterplan that will transform the Porta Romana railway yard into a post-Olympic urban hub for the Milanese people.

Image © SOM

The firm beat out 70 other submissions for an ultra-sustainable plan that will add green spaces and six residential buildings that can afterwards be converted into student dormitories and affordable housing units. The Olympic programme will also restore a pair of buildings currently on site and install a suspended forest, giving the village a permanence its designer’s placed an emphasis on during their proposal process.

Image © SOM

“Rather than ceasing to be of use after the Olympics, the Porta Romana Olympic Village will ultimately become a vibrant, self-sustaini...

Athletes refuse to move into Rio's Olympic Village, citing “blocked toilets, leaking pipes and exposed wiring”

2016-07-25T17:09:00-04:00

Sunday was supposed to be move-in day for many athletes, but the leader of the Australian Olympic delegation said its athletes would not be checking in because of problems with the gas, electricity and plumbing. [...] delegations from Britain, New Zealand and other countries were experiencing similar problems in the village, which is in an area of western Rio called Barra da Tijuca.

The official start to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will go ahead on August 5, despite ongoing concerns over the spread of the Zika virus, political upheaval, economic distress, polluted competition waters, and now, questionable athlete facilities.