IOC Staff Relocate to Olympic House

(ATR) The IOC will have all its 600 employees working under one roof on Monday for the first time in many years.

Around the Rings understands that IOC staff were told to work at home on Thursday and Friday as the removals company it hired packs up the Pully office and moves equipment and furniture across to the Olympic House in Vidy on the shores of Lake Geneva

The Olympic governing body opens a new era on May 27 when all staff, previously spread around four different offices in Lausanne, will be together on one site.

IOC president Thomas Bach’s office is located on the third floor of Olympic House. Among many flexible working spaces and meeting rooms one is dedicated to the work of the executive board.

The IOC’s lavish new headquarters will be officially inaugurated on Olympic Day on June 23. It cost around $146 million to build, which also covers new equipment and staff relocation.

Designed by Danish architects 3XN, the five-story, 17-meters high HQ has been under construction since summer 2016.

Marie Sallois, the IOC’s director of corporate development, brand and sustainability, has described the new HQ’s design as "iconic without being ostentatious", insisting it would help to optimize costs in the IOC’s operations.

The IOC said it will result in "substantial long-term savings, increased working efficiency and energy conservation".

Asked by Around the Rings how much the IOC would cut costs, Sallois estimated in March that the Olympic committee would save about CHF 80 million ($79.6 million) over 50 years.

Olympic House has a footprint of 18,000 square meters. Hospitality functions will be housed on the ground floor, with three levels of offices and a basement for underground parking.

The most eye-catching design feature is the five Olympic rings forming the staircase and spine of the building. The roof is shaped like a dove.

The headquarters will mainly be powered by renewable energy, recycling water from Lake Geneva and use of solar panels, which will help reduce energy consumption by around 35 percent.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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