A good reason to back the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games bid.
http://www.populous.com/news/090929_Sochi/POPULOUS SELECTED TO DESIGN SOCHI 2014 MAIN STADIUM
Date: September 29, 2009
The global design practice Populous is delighted to announce today that it has been selected by the State Corporation ‘Olympstroy’ to design the main stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
Populous has also designed the master plan and overlay plan for competition and non-competition venues and facilities, and now adds designing the main 40,000 seat stadium to their expanding role on the 2014 Games. Populous is joined in the design consortium by Russian contractor Engeocom, and Botta Management.
"The main stadium design, in addition to the venue overlay plan we have prepared for the 2014 Games, delivers a wonderful vision for the winter Olympics, and a lasting sustainable legacy for Sochi. Its sweeping form responds to both its coastal location and mountainous backdrop, whilst its crystalline skin engages with its surroundings by day, and provides an iconic representation of the colour and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night. We are proud to be involved on such a level with Olympstroy," said John Barrow, Populous senior principal.
This is the 25th year of Populous' involvement in Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we are now the first design practice to have been officially appointed for the design of two Olympic Stadiums at one time. With Populous being the architects responsible for the main Stadium and venues overlay for the London 2012 Games, designing for Sochi 2014 ensures the continuation of the practice’s unrivalled experience in Olympic event planning and venue design. Each of these stadiums reflects new standards for Olympic sustainability initiatives.
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/09/30/2014-winter-olympic-stadium-will-have-crystalline-skin/2014 Winter Olympic Stadium By Populous Will Have Crystalline Skin
by Bridgette Meinhold, 09/30/09
Populous, a new venture recently spun-off from leading sustainable architecture firm HOK has unveiled its design for the stadium that will be the epicenter of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Although the plans are still hazy, the project will feature several sustainable factors including a shimmering crystalline skin.
The translucent skin is meant to represent the “color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night” and will envelope 40,000 people when the stadium is full. As with the entire plan of the Olympic games in Sochi, sustainability is key, although no details have yet been presented to outline the green features of the new stadium. Much like many of the eco-stadiums in recent years, advanced material technology, lightweight structures, as well as daylighting and natural ventilation will most likely play an important role.
“The main stadium design, in addition to the venue overlay plan we have prepared for the 2014 Games, delivers a wonderful vision for the winter Olympics, and a lasting sustainable legacy for Sochi. Its sweeping form responds to both its coastal location and mountainous backdrop, whilst its crystalline skin engages with its surroundings by day, and provides an iconic representation of the colour and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night. We are proud to be involved on such a level with Olympstroy,” said John Barrow, Populous senior principal. Populous is a fast moving and expanding firm with an impressive resume already in it’s first year of operation. Since December 2008, they have already won the bid to design the 2012 Olympic Stadium for London.
http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/1481692.htmlThe firm has been chosen to design a 44,500-seat stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, a Russian city on the Black Sea.
Populous described its design as a “wonderful vision.”
“Its sweeping form responds to both its coastal location and mountainous backdrop, while its crystalline skin engages with its surroundings by day and provides iconic representation of the color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night.”