Olympic Village Renovation Company Defends Against Lawsuits

When the Olympic village was first conceived, its architects sought to create a one-of-a-kind wonder built to world-leading environmental and construction standards. But a series of glitches have kept some residents awake at night, and the developers face lawsuits.

When Helen Lee and her husband forked over $1.8 million in 2007 to buy a condo at the Olympic Village, they were sold a dream. The village, then known as the Stratford Villa Development Partnership (SVDP), offered spectacular mountain and water views that would be perfect for their retirement. It had all the trappings of a deluxe community, including a swimming pool and a fitness centre.

It also boasted the latest in high-tech energy efficiency, with the insulating value of its walls and roofs double that of conventional buildings. And it was designed to be environmentally sensitive, with its cladding sourced from low-embodied carbon materials like wood instead of the typical urban cladding of ticky-tacky slats.

In addition to solar panels and a micro-hydro plant, the village is expected to produce 30 per cent of its energy from a variety of environmentally friendly features, such as a heat exchanger and rainwater harvesting systems. A green roof and a central cooling system that uses geothermal technology are other features.

It is these overarching design and social ambitions that arguably make the village the critical piece of infrastructure on which London 2012’s much vaunted regeneration legacy hinges. If it succeeds, the village could prove that the Olympics can transform a deprived area of a city and lay the foundation for future inward investment. But if it fails, it could destroy any credible claim that the Olympics can be used to promote civic renewal.  renovation company Olympic village