Olympic Villages
There were three Olympic Villages for the Olympic Games Torino 2006: the main Olympic Village, located in Turin, which housed 2,500 athletes in 39 buildings, and Olympic Villages in the ski resorts of Bardonecchia and Sestriere. All buildings in the Villages were designed to maintain the residential function after the Olympic Games.
Guidelines for environmental sustainability were a mandatory requirement in the tender for the Olympic Village, which resulted in innovative environmental practices incorporated into the design proposals.
Design features of the selected proposal included a high degree of thermal insulation, with the heating system connected to the district system, a practice which minimised thermal energy creation and reduced heat loss in the winter. Solar panels were also integrated into the design, as well as devices to reduce water consumption and a system to collect and store rainwater for the irrigation of green areas.
The Olympic Villages in the ski resorts of Bardonecchia and Sestriere are both in full use as residential buildings. However, the original intention to turn the Turin Olympic Village into a residential area, while providing spaces dedicated to research and commerce, has not been fulfilled and the structure has faced repeated challenges over the last 14 years.