whistler olympic/paralympic park – design, construction, operations ccsaa convention april 15 –...
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Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park – design, construction, operations
CCSAA Convention April 15 – 17, 2009John Aalberg, Director Whistler Olympic Park
ABOUT John Aalberg:• Born Norwegian, now US
Citizen, residing in Canada
• Skier, runner and 2 x Olympian
• Computer Engineer
• “Sport designer & consultant” – venues, trails & athletes in 3 continents
• Organizer of large sport events, such as 2002 Games in SLC
Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park
How to get there:
Introduction
History of the Callaghan Valley
Land Use History
Logging
Mining
Forestry
Land Use Today
Fishing
Hunting
Camping
First Nations Traditional Territory
Commercial and Private Outdoor Recreation
Callaghan Valley
Callaghan Valley – Olympic venue
Callaghan Valley was chosen due to the ideal:
Location
Weather Conditions
Elevation
Snow Quality and Quantity
Distance from Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village: 14 km West of the Whistler Athlete Village
Elevation: 840 m - 930 m (2800 – 3100 ft)
Size: 262 hectares in size, only 42 hectares are utilized for the Games
Snow: Upper Callaghan Valley registers over 12 meters of snow fall on a yearly basis; average snow pack in end of February and March at venue is approximately 2.5 meters
Key Facts about the venue
Vision and Design
Vision the challenge
How to best combine (and prioritize):
• Olympic/Paralympic Games• Recreation and Destination• Sport Development
Vision design objectives
1. Create a brand and a story
2. Create a “Mecca” for Nordic skiers
3. Be and remain multi-sport non-exclusivity
4. Preserve the nature & the wilderness
5. Create “something for everyone”
6. Be the venue with the best trails for events, training and destination skiers “add-ons” to come later
Vision how to implement
1. Listen to many groups Be open to non traditional views
2. Work with neighbours, towns and clubs Create “ownerships”
3. Be flexible in the design “non binding”
4. Build safe, consistent, fun and high quality trails
5. Incorporate key Legacy items
- Nice Day Lodge
- Recreational/beginner trails
- Operational decisions
Vision Operational Objectives
1. Provide optimal conditions for Games Readiness and Preparation– For VANOC and for Canada’s Olympic Teams
2. Organize Test and Training events– Test FOP, train volunteers, manage risks and be prepared
to provide excellent Games’ competitions
3. Build post-Games interest; prepare for legacy– Leverage Games and build expertise, media attention,
market share and reputation.
Design - Main Facility requirements
• Day Lodge – 10,000 sq ft• Maintenance Building – 6,000 sq ft• Biathlon Event Buildings – 5,000 sq ft• Cross-Country Event Buildings – 5,000 sq
ft• Ski Jump Judges’ Tower – 2,500 sq ft
• Ski Jump hills (HS 140, HS 106)• Cross-Country stadium & competition trails (10
km)• Biathlon stadium, range & competition trail ( 4 km)• Recreational trails (35 km)
Design - Other Facilities• Internal roads• Parking lots (many) – for Games’ operations• Waste Water plant • Water treatment and pumps • Water reservoir • BC Hydro/electrical facilities• Bell Cell Tower• IT Communication Systems• Snowmaking for Ski Jumps/Snow play area
The Whistler Olympic Park Stadiums
Biathlon
Ski Jumping
Cross Country
Permanent Structures
Daylodge
Cross Country
Ski JumpsMaintenance
Construction
2005 Compound Construction
2005 Compound Construction
2005 Construction
Main 2010 Olympic Core Sport area
5km Red Course length: 5085mCategory:Competition Level: OWG
Height Difference (HD): 72mMaximum Climb (MC): 60mTotal Climb (TC): 182m
Lowest point: 857mHighest point: 929m
0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 2250 2500 2750 3000 3250 3500 3750 4000 4250 4500 4750 5000850
860
870
880
890
900
910
920
930
ABC
u.t.(k)Desc.
2006 Trail clearing
2006 Trails
… Just two summers and $120 million
Whistler Olympic Park / in Construction Phase
Olympic “overlay” – CC & SJ compounds
OlympicArea –1 km2
All trails
Total trails: 50 - 55km
Green: 25%Blue: 50%Black: 25%
Key Contractors (8)
Newhaven ConstructionConstructed the XC Tech Building, Biathlon Building, Maintenance Building and the Daylodge Legacy Building
RBV - Resource Business Ventures Bridges, Warm-up trails, Access Roads, Misc. Utilities, Landscaping, Recreational Trails, Secondary Communications and Lighting, Final Grade and Paving of Trails, Final Grade and Paving of Roads, Misc. Sport Structures
EAC - Emil Anderson South Site Works and the Ski Jump Structures
EPCOR Waste Water Treatment Plant SystemsWater Treatment Plant Systems
Sandwell EngineeringDesign Services
Bell Primary Communications
BC HydroPrimary Power
Doppelmayr CTECChairlift
Commitment to Sustainability
Environmental Stewardship at Whistler Olympic / Paralympic Park
Environmental Assessment Process
• Electing to participate in both federal and provincial environmental assessment processes concurrently (provincial process was not technically required)
• Third party environmental monitors are in place on an ongoing basis to monitor the environmental conditions of the venues before, during and after construction as well as during operations
Key Environmental Attributes of Whistler Olympic Park
Venue Development – A Light Touch• Smart site selection – venue built in already
disturbed area, resulting in lower environmental
impact
– Site is located adjacent to a former mine in a previously
harvested forest
– Use of existing logging/mining/skid roads for ~25 per
cent of the legacy trail network
Smaller Footprint
• The core venue footprint for Whistler Olympic Park is ~35% smaller than the original design– Design changes were made to avoid disturbing old
growth forest and wetlands (E.g. relocation of ski jump)
– Significantly reduced number of stream crossings by roads and ski trails compared to initial designs
– Minimized vegetation clearing on the site, including preservation of tree islands and soft edging
Smaller Footprint
Protecting Streams and Wetlands
• Extended riparian (buffer) areas help protect on-site streams and wetlands
• Development of the core competition venue affected 1.8 hectares of in-stream and riparian habitat
• With a goal of no net loss, VANOC mitigated this impact by protecting extended riparian setbacks totalling 32 hectares
• This represents impact mitigation through habitat protection at a 16:1 ratio – For every 1 hectare impacted, 16 hectares were protected
Protecting Streams and Wetlands
Waste Water Treatment
• An on-site waste water treatment plant will use leading technology including tertiary membrane filtration and ultraviolet disinfection to protect water quality in receiving streams and wetlands.
• The treatment plant is built to accommodate pre-Games and post-Games user numbers (supplemental temporary facilities to be used at Games Time)
Closing the Loop on Wood Waste• Construction resulted in
significant amount of non-merchantable woody debris
• Instead of burning the debris, we found solutions to minimize impacts and re-use the “waste”:
1. Recycling woody debris as fill for temporary compounds
2. Donating wood waste for fish habitat enhancement 3. Composting wood waste on-site for revegetation and
erosion control – ~20,000 cubic yards of composted wood waste mixed with wildflower seeds and applied to disturbed areas on venue to provide stabilized slopes, enriched soil and vibrant habitat for wildlife
Closing the Loop on Wood Waste
Green Buildings• VANOC’s venue design teams were guided by
LEED green building principles. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a globally recognized environmental certification program for buildings
• Whistler Olympic Park: – LEED Silver certification for Day Lodge– Additional site buildings follow LEED design
principles
Green Buildings – Day Lodge
Operations
Venue TimelinesJune 2004 – October 2005: Venue DesignJuly 2005 – November 2007 Venue ConstructionNovember 2007: Start of Operations
December 2007 – April 2008: Daily operations and events
May 2008 – October 2008: Venue construction upgrades
Public ToursAthlete/Team training
November 2008 – April 2009: Daily operations and events
June 2009 – September 2009: Venue construction upgrades
Public ToursAthlete/Team training
September – December 2009: Games setup and preparation
Limited operationsJanuary - April 2010: Games exclusive period
Whistler Olympic Park organization
WOP Director &Venue Manager
John Aalberg
WOP pre-GamesOperations
(35)
VANOC SportPlanning
(9)
Games planning &Venue management
(30 + 2000)
Lindsay DurnoLen Apedaile - CCMax Saenger - BTJohn Heilig - SJ
30 VANOC departments
WOP pre-Games Operations
WOP OperationsManager
(9 FT, 32 PT)
PublicPrograms
(outsourced)(20 – 30 PT)
Snow & Sport Facilities
Grooming
Snow Safety
Ski Jump & lift
Guest Services
Sales
Engineering
Road Maintenance
Clean & WasteFood services
Admin Event Coordination
Maintenance building
Maintenance Facility
•6000 sq ft facility
•Lift Track
•4 ton Overhead Hoist
•Operations Office & Staff Room
Grooming….
2007 2008 2009 Winter Seasons:• 2 PB 600 Winch Cats• 1 PB 100 Track Setting & People
Mover• 2 PB Edges with 4 pan Track Setting
YEAR #1: 2007-2008 Operations
RECREATION• Formed partnership with local Recreational Service
Provider (tickets, rentals, retail) – CCC
• Formed partnership with equipment provider – Rossignol
• Formed partnership with adjacent Operator– Callaghan Country Wilderness …
Total of 100 km for “Destination” Cross-Country skiers
Our next door neighbor….. Callaghan Country Routes of Wilderness Backcountry ski
operator in the valley
Olympic CC Trail System 10km
Olympic Biathlon Trail System 4km
Recreational Trail System&Legacy Trail System 55km
5KM Asphalt &6 km Night Lighting
Lit trails – 5.7 km
2007-2008 Operations
DEVELOPMENT
• Invited school programs (1000 kids for $5)• Regular scheduled club programs (“bunny
rabbits”, “biathlon bears”, “hoppers”, etc.) – Squamish Nordics, West Coast Nordics …
• National Development Teams (CC, SJ, NC & BT)
Working Hard……to achieve perfection
To be…………..
Our Competitors of to-morrow
2007-2008 Operations - Events
• Formed partnership with local community in Sea-To-Sky (CALOC, Whistler Nordics, Hollyburn, Squamish Nordics, Spud Valley)
• Hosted 5 main events– Three national Championships– Largest Cross-Country Nationals in history (650
athletes)– Two international Ski Jump meets– Total of 450 “Games time” sport volunteers
identified (in 3 sports)
2007 - 08 Events
Summary - First Winter (2007 – 2008)December 15th - April 13th
We Outsourced:– Our Point of Sale– Ski School– Ski Rentals– Ski Repair– Retail– Ticketing
• We donated to WAG all season pass dog tags sold
• 14 events
Our Numbers (5 months):• Public ski days
13,598• Season passes 3,400• Volunteer / Coaches 5,654• Athletes: 10,031• Biathlon• Cross Country• Ski Jumping• Snow shoeing• Total Skier Days 32,683
2008-2009 Operations• Tri-area pass (Lost Lake, Whistler Olympic Park,
Callaghan Country) – 130 km• Contracted Food/Day Lodge concessionaire• Public Opening November 22nd
• School programs ($10)• Club Programs (free Day pass on day of program)• Corporate programs (Mercedes, etc.)• Updated Web site (www.whistlerolympicpark.com)
• 100% increase in revenue compared to 2008 season
2008-2009 Operations
• Olympic “test” events – big focus
VANOC pre-Games test eventsJan 2008: National Championship, Ski Jumping
National Championship, Nordic Combined
March 2008: National Championship, Cross-CountryNational Championship, Biathlon
Dec 2008: Continental Cup, Nordic CombinedContinental Cup, Ski Jumping Ladies
Jan 2009: World Cup, Ski JumpingWorld Cup, Cross-CountryWorld Cup, Nordic Combined
March 2009: World Cup, BiathlonWorld Cup, IPC Nordic
2009 NORDIC
FESTIVAL at
WHISTLER OLYMPIC
PARK
Post-Games
• Owned and operated by Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies
• Funded by Games Trust and operating revenue
• Focus on recreation for communities and as “Destination Centre” for Cross-Country skiers
• Ski Jumps will ensure potential for future World Championships and World Cups
• National Training Centre for Cross Country
• National Development Centre for Biathlon
• Snow play• Winter and summer tubing• Rodelbahn• Dog sledding• Horse and wagon rides• Ropes course
Post-Games Activities – options
Rodelbahn
Snow play
Summer tubing
Proposal for tubing area
GREENCOURSE
SAMPLES OF GAMES
Nepalese bridge
Round woodbridge
Platform hightaverage3 meter
Net bridge
CHILDRENCOURSE
SAMPLES OF GAMES
For children course, the games and equipment for participant are nearly the same than those for the adult park; children from 3 to 6 year old are under the supervision of an adult.
Platform0m50
• Retail and food service– 1ST Nations’ Village?
• Mountain Bike rentals• Wedding/Events at Day Lodge• Corporate events• Camping• Concerts
Post-Games Activities - other
2010 Games
Olympic Games Feb 12th – 28th 2010Paralympics March 12th – 21st 2010• About 30% of all
Olympic Gold Medals at WOP (Total of 28)
• About 50% of all Paralympic Gold Medals at WOP
Olympic Games Numbers at WOP• 33 total events
(1 – 3 per day)• 650 Sport Volunteers• 2000 total volunteers
and staff every day• 24,000 venue capacity
every day• 620 Athletes• 600 Coaches and Team
officials
Our goals: - Great Games where sport and culture shines- Ensure the sustainability and continued successful ongoing operation of Whistler Olympic Park
