London Olympics 2012 Stadium Design And Construction
The most expected sporting events of the next year is the London Olympics 2012. And the designers have taken up a challenge to make the venues spectacular and make a mark. The stadium is built at Lower Lea Valley in Stratford at Marshgate Lane. The new euro 500 million stadium in London which will host the London Olympics 2012 is in the final stage of completion. Though it was initially estimated to be finished at euro 250 million the budget overshot to 500 million as they didn’t take the inflation into account. The design team comprises of HOK sports (Populus) which is a sports architecture firm, consulting firm M-E Engineers which also has the Olympics stadium for the 2000 Sydney games to it’s credit. The design was finalized on November 2007 and the construction began in May, 2008.
The daily mail quoted Architect Rod Sheard, of HoK Sport, said: "This is not a stadium that is going to be screaming from rooftops that it is bigger and more spectacular... this is just a cleverer building, a cleverer solution."
#-Link-Snipped-#Facts that you should know:
1. Five new footbridges have been constructed to lead the spectators into the site.
2. The stadium is in the shape of an ellipse with the longer axis measuring 315m and the shorter axis measuring 256m and has a perimeter of 860m.
3. The height of the stadium is 60m from the level of the field.
4. 33 buildings have been demolished to make way for the land for all the stadiums.
5. The construction employed 5,250 workers.
6. Lightest Olympic stadium.
7. Third largest stadium in Britain
8. The seating capacity of the stadium is 80,000 of which only 25,000 is permanent.
Construction Details:
The construction started with the site clearance and then excavation. The site soil is clay. So the architects have proposed an innovative design which consists of cutting and filling. Here 800,000 tons soil is dug out to form a bowl shape. This will be the area where the permanent structures would be built. The dismountable upper structures are built over this. The spaces available around the permanent seating will also be utilized for having changing rooms and warm-up areas. The piling began in may, 2008. The foundation consists of 4000 piles.
The structure is made of a permanent lower level of structure made of concrete and the above layers are temporary structure made of 10,000 tons steel and concrete allowing it to create a record for being the most lightest Olympic stadium.
The roofing and the covering behind the audience, which will be wrapping around the arena to act as a shelter will be made of fabric. Fabric wrap has been made attractive using colours, mosaics and Olympic-related images that can be altered. The light-weight fabric has the strength to take the weight of the lights used during the sporting events. The fabric covered 25,000m2. This roof is cable supported and will cover 260,000 sq ft and shelter two-thirds of the spectators. More than 500 reinforced concrete columns served as the foundation for the upper structure. The roofing consisted of 12,000 pre-cast terracing units and 112 black steel rafters.
#-Link-Snipped-#
The bowl-shaped Olympic stadium will seat 80,000 fans. This has made this the third largest stadium in Britain. A stadium of this large capacity will not be of use in the area after the Olympics so the top tier of seating which consists of 55,000 seats would be removed after the games and sold again. This is what is so special about this design. The stadium will be back for the domestic use and can host many other smaller events.
The structural works are all done and only the finishing works and the final field laying remain. The stadium is expected to be finished by this summer.
On 29th, march 2011 Chairman of the IOC Athletes’ Commission and Olympian Frank Fredericks, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman John Armitt, London 2012 chair Seb Coe and 400m hurdles 2012 hopeful Tasha Danvers had laid the final turf to mark the completion of the main venue.
Olympic Stadium - Timeline
Jul ‘06 - Search starts for team to build and design the Olympic Stadium
Sept ’06 - OJEU Competition launched
Jan ’07 - Team Stadium selected as ‘Preferred Bidders’ by the ODA.
Jun 07 - Team Stadium commences concept design
Jul ’07 - Demolition starts on Olympic Stadium site
Jul ’07 - MOU signed with Team Stadium
Nov ’07 - Concept designs launched
Dec ’07 - Stadium site clearance completes
Mar ‘08 - 1st planning application given approval
Apr ’08 - Contract signed and Team Stadium take over Stadium site
May ’08 - Main Planning Application submitted
May ’08 - Construction starts
Jul ’09 - Construction of external structure completed
May ’10 - Work starts on field of play and track area, and first seats manufactured
Aug ’10 - OPLC starts formal bidding process for legacy operators of the Olympic Stadium
Dec ‘10 - Floodlights tested and all spectator seating in place
Feb ’11 - OPLC confirms that a consortium of West Ham United FC and the London Borough of Newham are the preferred long-term tenant for the Olympic Stadium
Mar ‘11 Construction complete
Summer 2011 – summer 2012: LOCOG over-lay, fit-out and test events
Source: #-Link-Snipped-# and The Mirror: The Heart of Britain
The daily mail quoted Architect Rod Sheard, of HoK Sport, said: "This is not a stadium that is going to be screaming from rooftops that it is bigger and more spectacular... this is just a cleverer building, a cleverer solution."
#-Link-Snipped-#Facts that you should know:
1. Five new footbridges have been constructed to lead the spectators into the site.
2. The stadium is in the shape of an ellipse with the longer axis measuring 315m and the shorter axis measuring 256m and has a perimeter of 860m.
3. The height of the stadium is 60m from the level of the field.
4. 33 buildings have been demolished to make way for the land for all the stadiums.
5. The construction employed 5,250 workers.
6. Lightest Olympic stadium.
7. Third largest stadium in Britain
8. The seating capacity of the stadium is 80,000 of which only 25,000 is permanent.
Construction Details:
The construction started with the site clearance and then excavation. The site soil is clay. So the architects have proposed an innovative design which consists of cutting and filling. Here 800,000 tons soil is dug out to form a bowl shape. This will be the area where the permanent structures would be built. The dismountable upper structures are built over this. The spaces available around the permanent seating will also be utilized for having changing rooms and warm-up areas. The piling began in may, 2008. The foundation consists of 4000 piles.
The structure is made of a permanent lower level of structure made of concrete and the above layers are temporary structure made of 10,000 tons steel and concrete allowing it to create a record for being the most lightest Olympic stadium.
The roofing and the covering behind the audience, which will be wrapping around the arena to act as a shelter will be made of fabric. Fabric wrap has been made attractive using colours, mosaics and Olympic-related images that can be altered. The light-weight fabric has the strength to take the weight of the lights used during the sporting events. The fabric covered 25,000m2. This roof is cable supported and will cover 260,000 sq ft and shelter two-thirds of the spectators. More than 500 reinforced concrete columns served as the foundation for the upper structure. The roofing consisted of 12,000 pre-cast terracing units and 112 black steel rafters.
#-Link-Snipped-#
The bowl-shaped Olympic stadium will seat 80,000 fans. This has made this the third largest stadium in Britain. A stadium of this large capacity will not be of use in the area after the Olympics so the top tier of seating which consists of 55,000 seats would be removed after the games and sold again. This is what is so special about this design. The stadium will be back for the domestic use and can host many other smaller events.
The structural works are all done and only the finishing works and the final field laying remain. The stadium is expected to be finished by this summer.
On 29th, march 2011 Chairman of the IOC Athletes’ Commission and Olympian Frank Fredericks, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman John Armitt, London 2012 chair Seb Coe and 400m hurdles 2012 hopeful Tasha Danvers had laid the final turf to mark the completion of the main venue.
Olympic Stadium - Timeline
Jul ‘06 - Search starts for team to build and design the Olympic Stadium
Sept ’06 - OJEU Competition launched
Jan ’07 - Team Stadium selected as ‘Preferred Bidders’ by the ODA.
Jun 07 - Team Stadium commences concept design
Jul ’07 - Demolition starts on Olympic Stadium site
Jul ’07 - MOU signed with Team Stadium
Nov ’07 - Concept designs launched
Dec ’07 - Stadium site clearance completes
Mar ‘08 - 1st planning application given approval
Apr ’08 - Contract signed and Team Stadium take over Stadium site
May ’08 - Main Planning Application submitted
May ’08 - Construction starts
Jul ’09 - Construction of external structure completed
May ’10 - Work starts on field of play and track area, and first seats manufactured
Aug ’10 - OPLC starts formal bidding process for legacy operators of the Olympic Stadium
Dec ‘10 - Floodlights tested and all spectator seating in place
Feb ’11 - OPLC confirms that a consortium of West Ham United FC and the London Borough of Newham are the preferred long-term tenant for the Olympic Stadium
Mar ‘11 Construction complete
Summer 2011 – summer 2012: LOCOG over-lay, fit-out and test events
Source: #-Link-Snipped-# and The Mirror: The Heart of Britain
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