How architecture defines the Olympic VIP experience

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by The Spaces, a digital publication exploring new ways to live and work.

CNN  — 

New stadiums might be stealing the architectural glory at the Rio Olympics, but the national hospitality houses are giving them a run for their money.

More than 30 nations have set up camp around Rio de Janeiro in sites that range from a 19th century mansion to a new beachside pavilion and a boat.

For many of these ad-hoc HQs – which serve as visitor centers for officials, sportspeople, VIPs and even the public – top designers and architects have been enlisted to provide a taste of their home nation within Brazilian surrounds.

Olympians lamenting the conditions of the athletes’ village might want to decamp to these. See highlights in the gallery above.

Check out The Spaces for more nations’ hospitality houses and other innovative architecture projects from around the world.