History unfolded at the Whistler Olympic Plaza during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as athletes realized their Olympic and Paralympic dreams and Whistler celebrated along with them. In fact, more than 100 victory ceremonies took place in the plaza, marking the first time a Mountain Host venue has been given such an honour.
Located in the heart of Whistler Village, Whistler Olympic Plaza is designed to be a lasting legacy for generations to come. Following the Games, the plaza will be transformed into the public gathering and event space envisioned for this area as part of Whistler’s community plan. The Games were a catalyst for this outdoor gathering place for residents and visitors, which will feature an open grass lawn, a performance pavilion, outdoor performance spaces, an accessible playground and public art celebrating the 2010 Winter Games.
The plaza will also include Olympic and Paralympic memorabilia, such as the Olympic cauldron and installations to recognize the contributions of athletes, medal winners, volunteers, government agencies, and partner organizations involved in Whistler's journey to host the 2010 Winter Games. There will also be a memorial to Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. Whistler Olympic Plaza will act as a hub directing people to Games-related amenities including the Whistler Museum and Archives.
This major project is only made possible through partnership with VANOC, the Government of Canada and a number of private and charitable organizations. Capital funding from the partners for the construction of the $13.67 million Whistler Olympic Plaza includes $ 4.2 million from VANOC, $5 million from the Government of Canada, $ 4.02 million from the RMOW through the hotel tax, and $450,000 from private and charitable organizations.
The Whistler Olympic Plaza is more than a venue-- it will be a permanent gathering place and hub of arts, culture and entertainment for Whistler’s locals and visitors alike.
2010 and beyond
Now that the 2010 Winter Games are completed, crews are busy transforming the Whistler Olympic Plaza into a lasting community amenity. The initial on-site construction will be VANOC’s remediation of the site and represents the conclusion to Phase 1. The scope of work includes asphalt removal, re-grading the site to accommodate Phase 2 works, and placing of gravel pre load materials on the site of the future performance pavilion north of the Brewpub. This work is being paid for by VANOC and will be complete by mid-June 2010.
Phase 2 gets underway in May in three bundles of work. The first bundle includes expanding the accessible playground, relocating washroom services closer to the playground, creating an interim Games memories area between the existing Village Stroll and the remainder of the site, which remains a construction site. This work is to be complete by end of June.
The second bundle of work is currently out to public tender and includes construction of the great lawn, Olympic overlook, seating stairs, village stroll extension, cauldron re-location, landscaping and partial reforestation. This bundle is set to commence in July and conclude in fall 2010. The last bundle of work is the performance pavilion and adjacent landscape. This bundle is currently in the design development stage. It is anticipated to be advertised for tender later this summer, and be completed in the spring of 2011.
Athlete recognition, Games memories, and the memorial to Nodar Kumaritashvili are elements that will be developed over the summer and incorporated into the scope of work described above.
Opening Strategy
The project involves a variety of components that will take differing times to complete due to scope, complexity, weather, and grass-growing conditions. The intent is to work from the edges of the site adjacent to the Village Stroll and move inwards so that portions of the site will be made available to the public as soon as possible. With the exception of the performance pavilion located north of the Brewpub and establishment of the lawn, site construction will be substantially complete by fall 2010.
A public opening is planned for summer of 2011.
The Resort Municipality is committed to minimizing the impacts of construction-related activity on neighbouring businesses and property owners and maintaining the resort experience for village guests.
Stay tuned: plans and other key information will soon be posted on whistler.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will the site be available for any events/performances prior to spring 2011?
A: Availability of Whistler Olympic Plaza will be based on the construction schedule and weather, as much of the landscaping will be weather dependant.
Q: Will the site look like a construction zone until spring 2011?
A: The site will be an active construction site until project completion in the spring of 2011. As areas are completed, the construction fence will be removed or relocated to allow for increasing public access. Public access to the great lawn is weather and schedule dependent. It will take three months from the time of lawn seeding to public access as the lawn needs to be sufficiently established in order to withstand anticipated use.
Q: What is planned for the plaza?
A: A working group is currently looking at the business model. The goal has always been and remains to make the plaza a hub for cultural activities for the community and for staging events and festivals.
Located in the heart of Whistler Village, Whistler Olympic Plaza is designed to be a lasting legacy for generations to come. Following the Games, the plaza will be transformed into the public gathering and event space envisioned for this area as part of Whistler’s community plan. The Games were a catalyst for this outdoor gathering place for residents and visitors, which will feature an open grass lawn, a performance pavilion, outdoor performance spaces, an accessible playground and public art celebrating the 2010 Winter Games.
The plaza will also include Olympic and Paralympic memorabilia, such as the Olympic cauldron and installations to recognize the contributions of athletes, medal winners, volunteers, government agencies, and partner organizations involved in Whistler's journey to host the 2010 Winter Games. There will also be a memorial to Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. Whistler Olympic Plaza will act as a hub directing people to Games-related amenities including the Whistler Museum and Archives.
This major project is only made possible through partnership with VANOC, the Government of Canada and a number of private and charitable organizations. Capital funding from the partners for the construction of the $13.67 million Whistler Olympic Plaza includes $ 4.2 million from VANOC, $5 million from the Government of Canada, $ 4.02 million from the RMOW through the hotel tax, and $450,000 from private and charitable organizations.
The Whistler Olympic Plaza is more than a venue-- it will be a permanent gathering place and hub of arts, culture and entertainment for Whistler’s locals and visitors alike.
2010 and beyond
Now that the 2010 Winter Games are completed, crews are busy transforming the Whistler Olympic Plaza into a lasting community amenity. The initial on-site construction will be VANOC’s remediation of the site and represents the conclusion to Phase 1. The scope of work includes asphalt removal, re-grading the site to accommodate Phase 2 works, and placing of gravel pre load materials on the site of the future performance pavilion north of the Brewpub. This work is being paid for by VANOC and will be complete by mid-June 2010.
Phase 2 gets underway in May in three bundles of work. The first bundle includes expanding the accessible playground, relocating washroom services closer to the playground, creating an interim Games memories area between the existing Village Stroll and the remainder of the site, which remains a construction site. This work is to be complete by end of June.
The second bundle of work is currently out to public tender and includes construction of the great lawn, Olympic overlook, seating stairs, village stroll extension, cauldron re-location, landscaping and partial reforestation. This bundle is set to commence in July and conclude in fall 2010. The last bundle of work is the performance pavilion and adjacent landscape. This bundle is currently in the design development stage. It is anticipated to be advertised for tender later this summer, and be completed in the spring of 2011.
Athlete recognition, Games memories, and the memorial to Nodar Kumaritashvili are elements that will be developed over the summer and incorporated into the scope of work described above.
Opening Strategy
The project involves a variety of components that will take differing times to complete due to scope, complexity, weather, and grass-growing conditions. The intent is to work from the edges of the site adjacent to the Village Stroll and move inwards so that portions of the site will be made available to the public as soon as possible. With the exception of the performance pavilion located north of the Brewpub and establishment of the lawn, site construction will be substantially complete by fall 2010.
A public opening is planned for summer of 2011.
The Resort Municipality is committed to minimizing the impacts of construction-related activity on neighbouring businesses and property owners and maintaining the resort experience for village guests.
Stay tuned: plans and other key information will soon be posted on whistler.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will the site be available for any events/performances prior to spring 2011?
A: Availability of Whistler Olympic Plaza will be based on the construction schedule and weather, as much of the landscaping will be weather dependant.
Q: Will the site look like a construction zone until spring 2011?
A: The site will be an active construction site until project completion in the spring of 2011. As areas are completed, the construction fence will be removed or relocated to allow for increasing public access. Public access to the great lawn is weather and schedule dependent. It will take three months from the time of lawn seeding to public access as the lawn needs to be sufficiently established in order to withstand anticipated use.
Q: What is planned for the plaza?
A: A working group is currently looking at the business model. The goal has always been and remains to make the plaza a hub for cultural activities for the community and for staging events and festivals.
Acknowledgements
The Whistler Olympic Celebration Plaza project is the result of an extensive community engagement process to establish a collective vision and guiding principles for development, reflecting the long-standing intention of the resort community to develop this site as an important place within the social fabric of Whistler. The Resort Municipality of Whistler recognizes the following partners for their exceptional contributions to this project: Government of Canada, Province of British Columbia and VANOC.