Work Begins on Richmond Oval’s Massive Wood Roof
06 July 2007
The Richmond Oval marked a major construction milestone today with the completion of the first roof span. When completed the Oval’s roof will be a massive 6.5 acres in size, feature one the longest clear spans in North America and will be almost entirely constructed from BC wood.
“The Richmond Oval will be the premier venue of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The spectacular wood roof will be one of its most remarkable features and help make it an international showcase for sustainable building practices.”
The Government of Canada and Province of BC have each contributed $30 million to the Oval through the $580 million capital budget for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In addition, the Government of Canada and Province of BC funded the Games Operating Trust, which will provide significant ongoing funding toward the operating costs of the Oval.
“Today’s raising of the roof at the Richmond Oval marks a milestone in our preparation for the 2010 Winter Games,” said Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn, on behalf of David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver–Whistler Olympics. “Not only will this impressive facility become a lasting legacy for our community and our Canadian athletes, it will also showcase the advantages of working with lumber from post-beetle timber from the forests of British Columbia."
“British Columbia is the world leader in softwood lumber products and the engineering technology to use wood in place of concrete and steel,” said Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman. “The Richmond Oval highlights both of these advantages and showcases that BC wood products and designs are an energy efficient and cost-effective alternative for large-scale construction projects.”
“This is a momentous development in the construction of what will certainly be one of the most recognizable venues of our 2010 Winter Games,” said Dan Doyle, Executive Vice President, Construction for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. “The entire Richmond team can take great pride in celebrating the progress that has already been made on this spectacular venue and the significance today’s milestone event represents.”
The first of the Oval’s 15 roof spans was completed in a special ceremony at the Oval today. Manufactured in Penticton from BC wood and using a glulam process, the spans are nearly 100 metres in length. Once completed, the spans will be linked by a one-of-a-kind “wood wave” design that was developed in BC and features arched trusses and rafters, and a curvature in the surface panels that will give the roof a rippled appearance. The Richmond Oval, home of speed skating for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, will be the first building in the world to include a roof of this exportable new design, which is built exclusively from wood and will use more than one million board feet of pine beetle kill wood from BC forests.
Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd. is contributing $1.5 million towards the engineering and design of the roof in order to support and promote the use of BC wood.
The 33,000 square-metre Oval is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008, with a 400-metre track and seating for approximately 8,000 spectators. In addition to being the home of speed skating competitions during the Olympic Games. the Oval will become an international centre of excellence for sports and wellness, special events and other activities. The Richmond Oval is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.
