BC’s Olympic Oval builder snags Autodesk honor

British Columbia–based custom design-builder, StructureCraft Builders Inc. was named the Autodesk Inventor of the Month for February 2010. The company used Autodesk Inventor software to design and develop the WoodWave roof for the Richmond Olympic Oval long-track speed skating venue.

While materials vary from project to project, StructureCraft is knownfor its use of wood and timber in exposed architectural structures, which include the Olympic Oval and the Bridge of Dreams, a footbridge on the Trans-Canada Trail in Princeton, B.C. Wood structures present multiple challenges that must be addressed from design to fabrication.

Approximately 100 different types of WoodWave panels were involved in the creation of the Olympic Oval roof, each of which is a complex assembly of about 250 parts. When confronted by the need to change the wave pattern due to a conflict with the sprinkler system, StructureCraft altered certain parameters in the model, and each panel automatically adjusted in the Inventor model.

“It would have taken weeks to make these types of design changes the old-fashioned way,” said Diaz. “In Inventor software, it took minutes.”

Inventor software also helps StructureCraft balance aesthetics and function in projects. StructureCraft designers noted that not only did the Olympic Oval roof need to be beautiful, it also had to absorb excess crowd noise and hide the electrical, mechanical and sprinkler systems attached to the ceiling.
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