Madrid 2016 previewed its bid at an exhibition to mark Architecture Week in the city. The exhibit, called Expo Cibeles, officially opened at Madrid’s City Hall this week and provides a glimpse of how Madrid will look in 2016 if the city wins the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Madrid’s Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon and Madrid 2016 CEO Mercedes Coghen officially opened the exhibition. The Mayor called it “an invitation to all citizens to know the future of Madrid”.
The new main Olympic areas are organized in two zones called the Core Zone (or “The Heart”) and the River Zone (or “The Lungs”). The Core Zone will include 15 Olympic competition venues, including the Olympic Stadium, Olympic Village and the Aquatics Centre.
The River Zone is positioned along the Manzanares River and is the location for a long-term regeneration project to recover green spaces and reclaim the river for everyone’s use. It includes the Casa de Campo Park and the competition venues for sports such as tennis and rowing.
Some of the Olympic projects are already in place such as the Caja Magica (Magic Box) for the tennis competition. The new Aquatics Centre is now under construction.
The Architectural College of Madrid has advised Madrid 2016, and one hundred architects from around the world presented projects for the 2016 Olympic vision said the bid committee.
Gallardon said, “all the designs have been chosen using criteria around excellence, accessibility and sustainability and demonstrate that the Olympics goes beyond sport and it is a strategy for the whole city”.
Coghen said, “the Olympics will deliver venues that can be used by everyone both at the time and in the future. The project is being brought closer to the people and this legacy is why nine out of 10 citizens support the bid”.
