2016 Rio Olympics - White Water Canoeing Stadium

The Rio White Water Stadium, accommodating 12,000 spectators during the 2016 Olympic Games, features extensive facilities including catering, broadcasting, and judging. The terraced design leveraged the steep site for stunning views of the venue, mountains, and city. Post games, it serves as a premier destination for recreational rafting, canoeing, high-performance sports, and other water activities.

Our building services team expertly delivered the detailed concept design, encompassing comprehensive drawings, performance specifications, and advanced computational fluid dynamic modelling to optimise the lake and pumping station design. In collaboration with Whitewater Parks International (WPI) and the Czech Technical University, Cundall developed a 1:13 physical scale model which rigorously tested the performance of the whitewater channels.

Gary Marshall, Partner, commented “Delivering the Rio White Water Stadium was a masterclass in bringing precision engineering and Olympic‑level ambition together. Working with Whitewater Parks International, our team transformed a steep, challenging site into a world‑class venue that not only shone on the global stage in 2016 but continues to thrive as a hub for sport and recreation today.”