The hip bone's connected to the thigh bone...

This recently ran in Women's Adventure Magazine... Robyne had asked me to forward some press on her latest project along to them and they turned around and asked for a blog post on the same. Huh. Who knew? At any rate - enjoy, they're doing some really cool stuff for this year's Winter Olympics in BC.

all photos copyright Rachel Rabhan 2009

The Olympics are here! The Olympics are here! OK, they’re almost here and, clearly, there will be much coverage of the athletes, records broken, and dreams achieved. We love all that stuff; it’s what keeps us glued to our TVs with breath held and fingers crossed every four years.

This year though, I’m excited about the Winter Olympics for a wholly new reason – another dream achieved. I’m incredibly proud of my dear friend Robyne Kassen and her partner Sarah Gluck who have recently installed some unique designs at the Olympic Village in Whistler, BC. Their NYC based firm, Urban Movement Design, combines architecture, design and physical movement to bring us a whole new concept in both urban design and healthy bodies, and how the two, miraculously, fit together.

UMD’s bus shelters and bike racks are encouraging people to stretch and breathe and interact – even on the way to work – don’t wait for that next yoga class! These installations perfectly demonstrate their belief that movement and health, design and architecture can (and must!) be combined to give us human sustainability.

In other words – Robyne & Sarah are finding ways to weave strength, stretching and healthy movement into common street structures. Being active is not just for the gym – as every one of us who reads Women’s Adventure Magazine already knows. Healthy living can be incorporated into everyday activities – even those as mundane as waiting for the bus or locking up your bike.

By carefully analyzing both physically challenged and high performing athletes, their designs have programmed specific counter-stretches and warm-ups for winter sports into the urban infrastructure. And - these ideas, and installations, will last long after the Olympians have gone, returning Whistler to a quiet mountain town – sustainability at its best. “Accessibility, physical activity and mobility are essential for health and wellness, and we are excited that such a broad group of athletes, locals and visitors can enjoy and hopefully benefit from our designs,” says Robyne, co-founder of Urban Movement Design.

It’s a fantastic and timely idea, and I couldn’t be more overjoyed or thrilled for Robyne & Sarah and the work that they’re showcasing at this year’s Winter Olympics. I know who my favorites are this year, and for 2010, they’ll not be on the slopes or the ice, instead they’ll be on the sidewalks and streets of Whistler. Congratulations ladies, this is only the beginning!


Check out a couple of videos that show off the design & build process along with the human sustainability concept itself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIg3AiwlSkU
1:00 – 2:27 is a quick overview of this Olympic project and how it fits into our health and our daily landscape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-6vvjrSLJM
1:40 – 2:20 is some very cool time-lapse video of the build.