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Take a look at the already-dilapidated facilities of the Rio Olympics

2017-02-14T12:17:00-05:00

The Olympics are a costly venture. In fact, they’re more like a high-stakes gamble. Countries pour money into the festivities, often going far over budget, with the hope that they’ll receive a return—either through tourist dollars or else through raising the city’s profile internationally. And, after the closing games, those hulking stadiums and sports venues are expensive to maintain. They also can be hard to find a use for. Domestic sports just don’t draw the same crowds as the Olympics do.

Some countries find creative reuses for their venues—from a water park in Beijing to a refugee center in Athens. But, even in the case of both these cities, the stadiums have largely fallen into disrepair due to neglect. The same goes, apparently, for Rio—eventhough the games ended less than a year ago. That’s not really a huge surprise considering the massive political turmoil gripping the country today.

Check out these pictures of the facilities for the Rio Olympics today, via the Guardian.

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Now that the Olympics have ended, what's in store for Rio's stadiums?

2016-08-23T18:05:00-04:00

Future Arena, the handball venue, will be taken apart and the pieces used to build four schools around the city, each serving 500 students. [...] the city will turn the aquatics stadium into two community swimming centers; the media center will become a high school dorm; and the 300 acres of land on which Barra Olympic Park currently sits will go be turned over for public parks and private development.

Climate change will make finding a host city for the 2088 Olympics incredibly difficult

2016-08-15T17:53:00-04:00

As our planet grows warmer over our lifetimes, the number of cities that will be cool enough to reasonably host the summer games is going to rapidly dwindle. And that doesn’t just mean Atlanta or L.A. According to an analysis published in The Lancet last week...only three plausible host cities in the entire continent of North America may still be low risk by 2085 (or the summer games of 2088): San Francisco, Calgary, and Vancouver.

There may be zero in Africa or Latin America, and only two in Asia (Bishkek, in Kyrgyzstan, and Ulaanbaatar, in Mongolia).

As the article notes, the really disturbing implication of this research is less about athletics and more about day-to-day work. Half the world's population works outside, and temperatures that are too high for a marathon will be too high for laboring.

For more on the Olympics, check out these links:

Come on in, the water's fine: Rio sailors say worries about water quality overblown

2016-08-09T19:04:00-04:00

Despite reports of dangerous levels of pollution in Rio's Guanabara Bay and concerns that floating garbage could damage or slow competitors' boats, sailors at the 2016 Olympics are showing little or no fear of getting into the water [...] Many said the dangers of sailing in Rio have been overblown and worried that the water concerns are overshadowing some of the most exciting and challenging sailing of their lives.

So far, the Rio Olympics seem to be going pretty well. But before they opened, a series of issues plagued the preparations. For some background, check out these links:

Hit or miss?: Oliver Wainwright reviews the designs of the Rio Olympics

2016-08-09T13:13:00-04:00

he collapsed sailing ramp has been hauled out of the water, a Russian diplomat has heroically killed a carjacker (or maybe not), and 450,000 condoms await action in the leaky athletes village. Beset by construction problems and delays and with preparations decreed the “worst ever” by the International Olympic Committee, how is the architecture and design of the XXXI Olympiad shaping up so far?

The Olympics are in full swing. Here's how to watch them. Interest in more Olympics architecture? Check out 10 notable projects from past Olympic Games here.

This month, Archinect's coverage includes a special focus on all things related to games. Check out some related articles here.

Rio Olympics 2016: how to watch, and what to expect at the opening ceremony

2016-08-05T13:42:00-04:00

It's finally arrived: the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is tonight. Technically, the Games are already underway (soccer competitions began on August 3), but the bulk of events will take place after the ceremony. And chances are for those in the U.S., you're nowhere near attending, and you'll be beholden to the broadcasters. Here's what you can expect.

The opening ceremony will be significantly cheaper than historically has been the case—the entire budget for the opening and closing ceremonies for both the Olympics and Paralympics is $55.9 million, less than half of what it had been originally. The ceremony's creative director Fernando Meirelles, the Brazilian director of City of God (2002), has incorporated three thematic "pillars" into the show: sustainability (partially an ode to the Amazon rainforest), smiling (!), and "gambiarra"—a Portuguese expression of resourcefulness.

The ceremony is also scheduled to include legendary soccer player Pele...

In honor of the Olympics, French artist JR installs giant athletes in Rio

2016-08-04T13:16:00-04:00

The French artist who goes by JR, known for flyposting large-scale photographs in cities around the world, has set up shop in Rio, just in time for the Olympic opening ceremony this Friday. As part of his ongoing worldwide Inside Out project, and under the invitation of the IOC, he's installed two giant sculptures of athletes in the city, posed in such a way that Rio itself is their stadium.

One is a diver, in a swan pose over the Barra da Tijuca, the other a high-jumper, curving over the top of the Hilton Santos in the Flamengo neighborhood. The athletes are made from printed fabric stretched over a scaffolding frame, and have been under construction since June.

h/t The Spaces

Check out more news from Rio: