Inside dope on Rio 2016

[Brad Klein]

Costs, budgets are an issue despite the set $300,000 design fee. And there's no reason to have the IOC involved in a decision that's supposed to be entirely local. Lots of uncertainty and surprise still likely. And you can forget about favorites now.

http://golfweek.com/news/2012/feb/06/delay-keeps-rio-designer-course-another-month/

[Randy Thompson]

Brad,
Good article, loved the part that the presentations were filmed, lets see if they acutally release them. Gives me reason to eat healthy and try to live that long! Ten to fifteen million dollar budget, I doubt very much and if it is true it will be horrible for the future of golf development in South America and IMO send the wrong message world wide. What I am hearing through local channels is much much less and I have done five courses in Brazil, so I am some what connected---but not to much obviously for I am not in the final big 8! Anyways it was a good article and as much as this is shocking to everybody, it kind of normal for Brazil. What will be a shocking is if they can actually get it built to test drive like planned. I see more like 100 brazilians laying sod ten days before the opening event and injecting phosphorus through needles into individual turfgrass plants. One question back at ya, that I have been racking my brains over is, Who do you think the delays favor and Why?

[Mike Nuzzo]

So who at the golf channel watched all the videos this weekend?

"We'll know a little more in a few years when Golf Channel, which has filmed the presentations, releases its documentary in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics."

[Dick Kirkpatrick]

I was taught when you can't say anything nice, don't say anything.

So I will shut up.

But I won't stop thinking.

[Don_Mahaffey]

Its gotta suck when the people who actually did all the work can't speak, yet anyone else can try and make a buck while speculating about all the speculation.

[Kalen Braley]

Brad,

I thought the article was very well written as well....thats probably the best synopsis I've heard of the issue to date.

P.S.  I disagree that the 8 firms are totally "losing" right now.  Their names are getting out there in the popular press, much more so than they would be otherwise with the architecture business having almost ground to a halt.  Hell yes its torture to wait, but hopefully they will continue to get good publicity for being in the "elite 8".

[Anthony Gray]

Is it me or does this project seem like a cluster.........


  Anthony

[Randy Thompson]

Is it me or does this project seem like a cluster.........


  Anthony

Welcome to South America....kilombo is the Spanish word you are looking for, you learn to accept it, live with it and try to turn into something positive like, oh well, never a dull moment. Combine this day to day living style with Olympic politics and itīs par fore the course! I can promise you this, you ainīt seen nothing yet and who ever wins, if they want to recuperate there $20,000 to $100,000 present investment, they can get that back and more, by writting a book when its all over! I wonder if the problem is politics Vs reasonable budget or they just want to send a messaje to the losing seven, that losing is a blessing in disguise!
I remember several years back a Chilean client that lived a couple of years in the US asking me how I was able to adapt to Chile. I asked him in what sence? He said, well in the US you buy a table on a Friday afternoon and they say they will deliver it at 12 on Saturday and at 12 it arrives, but not in Chile! Oh, I said that, Well I also lived in Brazil and Argentina. In Chile the table comes at 4 under those circumstances and I donīt expect it before that time. In Argentina it comes the following Saturday and the delivery person is well trained and insist that they never promised it the Saturday before and I am mistaking and lying. They take a very strong; the best defense is a strong offense and become very offensive! You give up and take your table! In Brazil, it comes two weeks later and its not even the table you ordered and paid for. The delievery guy says, donīt make a big deal out of nothing, this is what they sent, its wood,īit has four legs, I really donīt see what the problem is and what your upset about! Then he says, you got any cold beer, lets try out your new table!

[Jeff_Mingay]

Very interesting news, that The Golf Channel filmed all of the presentations. That's great, to have this important piece of golf history documented as such. Kudos to whoever thought of doing that.

[Howard Riefs]

Is it me or does this project seem like a cluster.........


  Anthony

Visions of the 1976 Olympic Stadium on a much smaller scale. Hopefully, it will have a more successful/productive life after the Games.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Brad That was a nice article. Randy thanks for some laughs about life in the  different cultures of SA.

[jeffwarne]

Did I miss something, or is there no course that could host The Olympics in Rio?



Seems the smartest guys in the room are...............not in the room

[John Kirk]

Welcome to South America....kilombo is the Spanish word you are looking for, you learn to accept it, live with it and try to turn into something positive like, oh well, never a dull moment. Combine this day to day living style with Olympic politics and itīs par fore the course! I can promise you this, you ainīt seen nothing yet and who ever wins, if they want to recuperate there $20,000 to $100,000 present investment, they can get that back and more, by writting a book when its all over! I wonder if the problem is politics Vs reasonable budget or they just want to send a message to the losing seven, that losing is a blessing in disguise!

I remember several years back a Chilean client that lived a couple of years in the US asking me how I was able to adapt to Chile. I asked him in what sense? He said, well in the US you buy a table on a Friday afternoon and they say they will deliver it at 12 on Saturday and at 12 it arrives, but not in Chile! Oh, I said that, Well I also lived in Brazil and Argentina. In Chile the table comes at 4 under those circumstances and I donīt expect it before that time. In Argentina it comes the following Saturday and the delivery person is well trained and insist that they never promised it the Saturday before and I am mistaking and lying. They take a very strong stance; the best defense is a strong offense and become very offensive! You give up and take your table! In Brazil, it comes two weeks later and its not even the table you ordered and paid for. The delivery guy says, donīt make a big deal out of nothing, this is what they sent, its wood,īit has four legs, I really don't see what the problem is and what your upset about! Then he says, you got any cold beer, lets try out your new table!

As one of our resident musicologists, I happen to know a wonderful song about this.  Great story, Randy.  Thanks.

Quilombo, by Gilberto Gil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W75Q1NZBHVk

[Scott Macpherson]

Kalen,

I think I agree with you. The 8 finalists are getting a lot of good PR from this process, and will probably be able to make up for the costs of chasing this project from the fees they get from other projects they get just for being in the final 8 (I hope that's not too confusing....) If anyone has 'lost out' it's the architects you spent time and money submitting but didn't make the final 8.

Brad, Nice article.

scott

[Tom_Doak]

Kalen,

I think I agree with you. The 8 finalists are getting a lot of good PR from this process, and will probably be able to make up for the costs of chasing this project from the fees they get from other projects they get just for being in the final 8 (I hope that's not too confusing....)

I don't agree at all.  Most of us had little trouble attracting work beforehand, and I highly doubt that being a finalist for the Olympic job will bolster that meaningfully, especially since there are so few jobs out there right now, anyway. 

The Olympic job is a great opportunity, and I think we are all in the race because we want that opportunity, not because we might skim some other work off it if we succeed [or even if we fail].  We can all afford the ante to be considered, although certainly some can afford it more easily than others.

I can also think of lots better ways than this to spend $40,000 on p.r. , although the two trips to Rio were a nice winter break for me.  I don't spend $40,000 on p.r. in a year, normally.  I have rationalized it as an educational opportunity, to keep several of my interns employed for a month or two when there was really nothing else for them to do.

[Anthony Gray]

  Two speeds. Slow and stop.

[Randy Thompson]

  Two speeds. Slow and stop.

Anthony,
Wait till they get into the actual construction, thats when the third speed will kick in - REVERSE!

[Brad Klein]

There's been a basic lack of respect shown in the process, for example that the finalists were not even informed Friday of the decision to delay and instead found out about it from second hand sources, the media, etc. They got a form letter only yesterday. This is no way to run a job interview. It's a really good (i.e. pathetic) piece of evidence of Olympic arrogance.

[Matt MacIver]

I wonder if the Committee liked certain elements of a few different proposals and is now trying to figure out a way to 1) cobble the best parts together without poaching / undermining any one candidate; and/or 2) force a collaboration.  Can an eight piece pie be split ten ways? 

[PCCraig]

It will certainly be interesting viewing once the presentations are televised in a few years time.

Regardless of how long it takes I wish the best to Tom & his team during the process.

[Jeff_Brauer]

The state of Florida, by law, tapes all consultant interviews for public projects.  When I have interviewed there, I always buy the tape to assess my performance later on.  Once, I went against Hills (winner) Cupp, Clark, and Griffiths.  Actually, it was easy to see why Hills won after viewing the tape.  The rest of us all sounded alike......

That is one golf channel special I will watch!  The design version of "The Big Break" I guess.

[Michael George]

Coore and Crenshaw are looking smarter every day!

Tom - in addition to escaping the mildest winter in memory, don't forget the opportunity to have a classic Christmas card 

[Mike_Young]

There is a golf channel employee that has seen all of the interviews as he filmed them.  Think he might have scoop?

[Terry Lavin]

When I saw the title of this thread, I thought for sure that Mac Plumart had just gotten the job!   

[Tom_Doak]

There's been a basic lack of respect shown in the process, for example that the finalists were not even informed Friday of the decision to delay and instead found out about it from second hand sources, the media, etc. They got a form letter only yesterday.

Brad:

That's exactly how they told us they would do it ... well, almost ... they said they would announce the winner by press release on Friday.  Instead, they announced they hadn't picked a winner yet.