The Housing III project visualized a “very durable, low maintenance long-life building,” for “a more mature independent student, aged twenty years and older, who seeks a more private lifestyle , with less direct exposure to the programs and activities that on-campus housing traditionally provides.”  The project formed part of the Olympic Village for the 1988 Winter Games with an expected cost of just over $12 million.

In keeping with campus tradition, the buildings took their names from geological landmarks of Alberta.   However, the name “Olympus Hall” required special permission from the Canadian Olympic Association.

Construction began in the summer of 1986; the Olympic Coordinating Organization (OCO) took possession in fall 1987 while university use began in spring 1988 following the winter Olympics.  The Calgary Olympic Committee ultimately “gifted” the cost of Olympus Hall to the university.  Apartments in Olympus Hall are larger than other undergraduate residences, making these rooms among the most popular.

3D tours are available:
https://ucalgary.ca/residence/olympus/studio_onebedroom/360_tours
https://ucalgary.ca/residence/olympus/two_four_bedroom/360_tours
https://ucalgary.ca/residence/glacier_apartments/360_tours