Capturing The Olympics Takes A Village

And then there was one. A host of bigwigs including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor George Pataki, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, Olympian Donna de Varona and the NYC2012 committee recently came together to unveil the winning design for the $1.5 million Olympic Village in Hunters Point. Incorporating nearly all of the International Olympic Committees (IOC) design criteria, California architecture firm Morphosis winning bid promises to be more than just an innovative use of space.
"The Morphosis design will not only create a spectacular Olympic Village, but will leave a great legacy for Queens," said Pataki. "This plan thoughtfully considers the needs of Olympic athletes by including convenient access and first rate facilities."
It begins with a winding ribbon of primarily low-rise buildings that skirt the East River and provide views of the Manhattan skyline. Though the planned number of high-rise buildings was reduced from 10 to four, the building footprints have nonetheless been minimized, allowing the 48-acre site to become home to 42 acres of new parkland with riverbank access. This will make it easy to integrate athletic training sites within the village, including a full-size Olympic track surrounding a football pitch, tennis courts and small fields ideal for personal workouts.
According to Bloomberg, the village will also offer athletes and coaches easy access to dedicated Olympic trains or ferries, each within a five-minute walk or two-minute shuttle ride from the farthest athlete apartment.
"This Olympic Village would be a spectacular home away from home for the worlds greatest athletes," said Bloomberg. "Its construction would both ensure a great Olympic Games and continue to pay dividends to New Yorkers long after."
Those dividends include residential housing for 18,000 New Yorkers once the games are complete and extra income for area business owners. But that all hinges on New York finding itself in the winners circle when the IOC announces its decision in July of next year.