Architecture
by STEPHEN GOODWIN
With Olympic Course Under Construction,
Gil Hanse’s Design Profile on Display
Architect continues his work on the layout for the Olympics
as his portfolio grows and design methods draw attention
which are set for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in
August 2016. The world’s best men and
women golfers will compete in 72-hole
stroke play competition on the Reserva
Marapendi course which, at the time of
this writing, is still under construction.
Altogether, 16 holes have been shaped,
according to designer Gil Hanse, and the
components of the irrigation system have just
arrived from the U.S. If all goes according
the plan, the final holes will soon be sculpted,
and grassing should begin in April.
Hanse is understandably cautious about
laying out an exact timetable. When he
was selected to design the course by the
International Olympic Committee, the
relatively young American architect was
up against some of the most famous names
in golf, including Jack Nicklaus and Greg
Norman. One of the reasons that he was
chosen, Hanse believes, is that he is a
hands-on designer who basically lives on
site during the construction process, and he
told the selection committee that he would
move to Brazil.
He kept his word. With his wife and
16-year-old daughter, Hanse lived in Rio
for six months. For the first two months,
though, nothing happened. A series of permit
problems and complications in the decisionmaking process, involving both the IOC and
the landowners, kept the project at a standstill.
“I was stewing,” Hanse admits, “and
there were times when I wondered if we’d
ever get going.”
POTENTIAL FOR A SEMINAL SITE
Now, he notes wryly, the golf course is
actually ahead of several other competition
venues. Reserva Marapendi was conceived
not just as a championship layout but as
one of the major legacies of Rio 2016, a
golf course that will be used for public play
and hopefully spark worldwide interest in
the game.
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When describing the course, Hanse calls
attention to the closing holes—a drivable
par 4, a short par 3, and a short par 5. All
three holes present birdie opportunities,
and two of them might yield eagles.
Conceivably, a competitor could play a
late stretch in five under par, providing a
spectacular finish to an event.
“An architect can only set the stage,”
Hanse says, “but I tried to keep in mind that
people all over the world who might never
watch golf otherwise will be watching the
Olympics, and I wanted them to see how
drama