The FISU World University Games is the largest winter multi-sport collegiate athletic event in the world. The 11-day international festival and competition combines high-level sports with educational and cultural events.
In total, ORDA invested $500 million in facility upgrades to modernize spaces across the Adirondack region for the World University Games and future international sports events. The CannonDesign team was part of only some of these updates, including:
- Renovations to the Olympic Center, which includes the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena (the Miracle on Ice rink), the 1932 Jack Shea Arena, the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval, and public spaces including a signature restaurant that looks out upon Whiteface Mountain and other competition venues.
- Specific to the Olympic Center, CannonDesign's work focused on reprogramming its main entry, renovating and upgrading spectator seating and athlete support spaces, and improving the overall game day experience. The team also helped ORDA renovate office space in the connected "link" building and introduce a stair and glass elevator.
- CannonDesign also helped with early concept and schematic design for the 45,000-square-foot Mt. Van Hoevenberg Mountain Pass Lodge, a mixed-use facility that includes areas for sports like the biathlon, bobsled, cross-country skiing, and more.
"The partnership between New York State, FISU, and Lake Placid created a long-term legacy incentivized by these Games," said James B. McKenna, Chair of the Adirondack Sports Council. "The modernization of the Olympic venues [secures] Lake Placid's place on the international sport stage."
