Cortina 2026: not just the Olympic Games
Personal Info
Name: Martina Baldin
Nationality: Italian
Institution / Company: IUAV
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-baldin-318970204
Name: Matteo Bin
Nationality: Italian
Institution / Company: IUAV
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matteo-bin-67585a111
Name: Andrea Stevanato
Nationality: Italian
Institution / Company: IUAV
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreastevanato
-FINALIST of Non Architecture Award 2022 Competition | Category: Urban & Landscape
In 2026 the Winter Olympic Games will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a small town located at 1224 m above sea level and surrounded by the Dolomites. This project aims to study the main complex of the village that includes all the services of the Olympic village which, once the Olympics will be over, will be converted into spaces serving the community and in favor of a slow tourism.
To design the Olympic village, the typological characteristics of Ampezzo architecture and Gellner’s modern interpretation of the local tradition were studied. In particular the crosera, designed by the architect Gellner, was chosen as the formal language of the Olympic village; it is a cross-beam structural system that allows for a light structure on the outside and relatively thin infill walls on the inside. This has led to the creation of large windows that let in the landscape and, together with the skylights present on the roof, illuminate the entire project with natural light creating an indelible memory of the Games.
The complex is made up of two blocks connected together by a large space that acts as Olympic square where all the main services overlook.
The plant of the building is defined by cores that enclose the facilities necessary for athletes and which are separated from each other and from the external skin. The serving spaces are therefore not simple distribution spaces but served spaces because they include places of sociality and they are open towards the landscape.