By Jason Larrison
Like millions of people around the world, I was glued to my television during the Olympics. I look forward to it every two years. I love the feats of human strength and endurance, the sportsmanship shown between competitors, and the collective celebration between nations.
I also love the pageantry. The host city brings out their best and rolls out the welcome mat for those attending in person and virtually. Frequently large investments are made in buildings and infrastructure. Sometimes architecture steals the show (I’m still amazed by Beijing’s “Next” and “Water Cube”).
But this year, Paris was not focused on highlighting the new; they were focused on what makes Paris the amazing city that it is. The opening ceremony was on the river. Beach volleyball was set up in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Fencing and taekwondo were held in the Grand Palais. Whether an athlete competing, a spectator attending, or a viewer on television, at those and many other venues, you knew you were in Paris. You knew this was something special.
I’ve not read up on the preparations in Paris, but I guarantee that architects were on the team. Creating these games required the creativity and expertise that architects and our allied design professionals provide.
I reside in Indianapolis, a city known for hosting sporting events. In 2012, we hosted the Super Bowl. While not as sprawling and spanning as the Olympics, the Super Bowl involves ten days of activities leading up to the big game. The city invested in some new infrastructure, but the majority of the work centered on over 125 temporary structures that supported the game and the visitor experiences. I had the privilege of working for the city and helping it put on the Super Bowl. And I had the opportunity to work with Populous, the NFL’s architect for the Super Bowl.
Architects are involved many, many moments, both big and small. We are found at large events like the Olympics and small ones like the creation of affordable housing. Across the spectrum of scales, our work makes an impact on our communities and urban environments. We work with anchor institutions and land banks and many others (which you can hear all about at the Regional and Urban Design Symposium in Indianapolis in November… more details below) to build a better today and set the stage for a better tomorrow.