Populous has announced that it has been selected to design the main stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The 40,000 seat pebble-shaped design will feature several sustainable factors including a shimmering crystalline skin. Its sweeping form responds to both its coastal location and mountainous backdrop, whilst its translucent skin engages with its surroundings by day, and provides an iconic representation of the color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night.
The award marks the firm's 25th year of involvement in Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the first time in Olympic history that one design practice has been responsible for two Olympic stadiums at one time, as Populous are also designing London's main 2012 Olympic Stadium.
“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,” said John Barrow, Populous Senior Principal. “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.”
