Winter Olympics, Climate, and the Built Environment: A Lifecycle Approach to Sustainability

The Olympic Games are more than global sporting events—they are large-scaleinfrastructure programs that reshape cities, test public systems, and influence long-termdevelopment patterns. From early planning and construction to peak operations and post-Games legacy, mega-events generate significant environmental, economic, and social impacts.

This course examines the sustainability dimensions of the Olympic lifecycle, with particularattention to Winter Games and their climate sensitivity. Participantsexplore how venues,transportation systems, utilities, and housing developments influence resource use andlong-term resilience. The course also reviews lifecycle-based solutions across design,construction, operations, and legacy phases, and introduces the role of structuredsustainability frameworks in supporting accountability and performance.

Designed for built environment professionals, this course translates lessons from Olympic-scale projects into practical insights applicable to infrastructure, campuses, transitsystems, and large civic developments.