Unlike past Olympics, when stadiums were abandoned after the torch went out, this year’s Olympics may not produce any crumbling buildings worthy of being called AbandonedPorn. Several buildings in the Olympic Park will be taken apart and rebuilt elsewhere.
“We’re at a stage in the Olympics where social and financial responsibility are much more important than they used to be.”
The disassembled buildings in Rio de Janeiro will provide materials to build schools, community swimming centers and a public park.
It’s a concept that Mayor Eduardo Paes calls “nomadic architecture,” according to Olympics’ official site.
For instance, Rio’s Arena of the Future, a 12,000-seat venue, which is hosting Olympic handball, will be broken down and rebuilt into four state-run schools in the neighborhoods of Jacarepagua and Barra and São Cristóvão.
The Aquatic Stadium, where Michael Phelps continues to add gold medals to his Olympic treasure chest, will also be broken down and transformed into two water sports centers with Olympic-sized swimming pools in Madureira Park and the Campo Grande area, according to Wired.
Aecom, the engineering firm behind this year’s games, will take the 296-acre Olympic park and turn it into public parks according to its site.
Bill Hanway of Aecom told Wired the designs call for prefabricated, modular parts that can be assembled and disassembled like a puzzle, so they can be dismantled and put to future use.
Still, Brazil has experienced a number of problems with its construction projects leading up to the Olympics.
After past Olympics, many cities have been at a loss about what to do with buildings erected for the games. For instance, Reuters reported that in Beijing, venues such as the rowing and kayaking center, baseball arena and BMX track were deserted. But some of the structures built for the 2008 Olympics are still used today for cultural and sporting events, like the National Stadium, also known as the “Bird’s Nest.”
Rio, at the very least, does have a plan.
“We’re at a stage in the Olympics,” Hanway told Wired. “Where social and financial responsibility are much more important than they used to be.”
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