At the same time as the official presentation of the Austria House at Igls, and at times broadcasting a live feed to them, 250 enthusiastic guests celebrated with a Sneak Peak at Whistler. Nobody wanted to miss out on this event. A group of First Nations people, originally from the land where the house has been built, opened the festivities with traditional songs. Mayor Ken Melamed, President of the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, Dave Brownlie, and Trade Commissioner and Austrian Consul, Robert Luck, all emphasized once more that this project is a very unique one and that the interested Canadian public holds this achievement of Austrian industry in high regard. This project is a clear win-win situation for the community of Whistler as well as for the companies involved. Whistler receives a unique house for further utilization after the Games and APG and all the sponsors retain a showcase in Canada, which will make their market entrance much easier. The presence of architects and constructors made it obvious, once again, that a growing market for energy-efficient building is developing in Canada.

Pictures of this in the gallery

The teams from Sea to Sky Consulting and Matheo Dürfeld catered for the festive mood and celebrated a successful event. They took on their joint role as the masters of ceremonies, poured out the beer provided by Stiegl, and served the home-made mulled wine and barbecued sausages non-stop, to the delight of the many guests. Even though there was a long queue at the barbecue, everybody got their money's worth. And one thing you could hear everywhere: this Austria House, its initiators, the companies on the construction site, its sponsors and coordinators - they all deserve a gold medal now.