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The Adler Arena has been designed to look like an ice fault, with angular walls and triangular stained-glass windows. It will an exhibition center after the Olympics are over. Meanwhile, the curves of the Iceberg Skating Palace are intended to reflect the movements of a figure skater. It will take organisers two hours to adjust the ice at the Iceberg when switching from figure skating to short track speed skating events.

The Ice Cube Curling Centre has smooth contours, intended to represent the shape of the curling stone. It is the smallest venue in the Olympic Park.

The Bolshoi Ice Dome represents a frozen water droplet. The word bolshoi means “major”, reflecting the importance of ice hockey at the Games. The dome will serve as a sports arena and concert venue after the Olympics.

The Shayba Arena is named after the Russian word for puck and a symbolic puck was placed in its foundations as it was being built. The arena was built so it could be dismantled and transported to another Russian city after the Olympics and Paralympics. The blue and white swirling design on the building’s exterior represents a snowdrift.

The Fisht Olympic stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The stadium, named after the nearby Mount Fisht in the western Caucasus Mountains, was inspired by the design of Russia’s famous Faberge eggs. It was going to have an open roof, but plans were changed because of concerns that the unreliable weather in Sochi might damage lighting and sound equipment in the opening ceremony. The stadium now has a translucent polycarbonate roof.

Resorts around the village of Krasnaya Polyana will play host to a number of Olympic events, including ski jumping, snowboarding, freestyle, cross-country and Alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, skeleton and luge. The biggest venue is the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, which will host snowboarding and freestyle skiing. The 1.2km ski-cross track features a 213m vertical drop.