London Olympics Stadium, Building, News, Construction, Start, Image, Architect

London Olympic Stadium : Building Information + Images

2012 London Olympics Architecture, England, UK

11 Oct 2011 London Olympic Stadium - Legacy News West Ham’s deal to take on the Olympic Stadium collapses On 24 Jan 2011 we reported on the two major London football clubs bidding to re-use the Olympics Stadium after 2012. The Daily Telegraph report today that London’s 2012 legacy planning has suffered a major blow with the collapse of West Ham’s deal to take on the Olympic Stadium amid concerns over the legal challenges to the club’s finance package with Newham Council. London Olympic Stadium photos © Morley von Sternberg The Olympic Park Legacy Company board decided last night to abandon negotiations with West Ham and Newham and launch a new tender process because of fears that ongoing legal challenges could delay conversion of the stadium after next summer’s Olympics. It is understood that an anonymous complaint to the European Commission has raised the prospect of an indefinite delay to negotiations. The Olympic Stadium will now remain in public ownership and the OPLC will try and find a range of tenants willing to pay rental on the stadium, which will be reduced to 60,000 seats at a cost of £50m drawn from OPLC funds. West Ham is assumed to be the only football club bidding to be a tenant, with Spurs no longer being interested. Interested parties will have until January to submit their bids and the OPLC will then try and put together a package of tenants that makes the Olympic Stadium viable. The move is a major blow to London’s legacy planning and continues the uncertainty over the flagship arena despite repeated promises over seven years that it would not be a white elephant. 4 Aug 2011 London Olympic Stadium Building London Olympics Stadium Wrap Architects: Populous – Peter Cook London Olympic Stadium Wrap image © Populous THE BIGGEST STAGE IN LONDON 2012 PREPARES ITS COLOURFUL CURTAIN London, 4 August 2011 - As the final preparations of the Olympic Games come closer, the London Olympic Stadium will soon unveil the wrap, sponsored by Dow. Embracing the temporary, the design by Populous adopts fresh sustainability ideas to create a compact, flexible and lightweight building inspired by the stage sets at outdoor events. The design responds to a different type of brief which is in keeping with the International Olympic Committee’s desire to ensure a ‘Green Games’, showcasing a more sustainable approach to hosting the event. London Olympic Stadium photos © Morley von Sternberg In August 2012 the eyes of the world will be on London and the Olympic Stadium, making it the most viewed building in history. The preparation for these games are an example of how innovative architecture and the practical issues of building delivery are compatible as all venues are further ahead in construction than any past games – reassuring to all spectators and athletes. Rod Sheard, Senior Principal of Populous and design team leader for the project said: “The team has worked hard to achieve the design we unveiled 4 years ago and the wrap is one of the last elements to be put into place. It will provide a clear and memorable identity to the stadium. We are very pleased with the announcement, as the wrap completes the enclosure of the structure and gives form to the lightweight frame that supports the elegant white roof.” London Olympic Stadium photos © Morley von Sternberg INTERESTING FACTS • 800,000 tonnes of soil was taken away before construction could begin – enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall nine times over • 62.7m – the stadium height is half the size of the London Eye and the equivalent to the central span of Tower Bridge • 50 km – the seats lined side by side • 34 unladen double decker London buses – the weight the roof can support • The wrap increases the spectators’ comfort and creates the theatrical black space before entering the drama in the seating bowl • 56 different colours of glass balustrades London Olympic Stadium photos © Morley von Sternberg EVENTS • 54 nations will participate in the Games • 47 Gold Medals Events in the Olympic Games • 166 Gold Medals Events in the Paralympic Games • 27 July 2012 Opening Ceremony Olympic Games • 12 August 2012 Closing Ceremony Olympic Games • 29 August 2012 Opening Ceremony Paralympic Games • 9 September 2012 Closing Ceremony Paralympic Games 27 Jul 2011 London Olympics Stadium Photos Architects: Populous – Peter Cook photo from Olympic Delivery Authority 22 Feb 2011 London Olympic Stadium Building - Completion 29th March 2011, marks the completion of the construction contract at the Olympic Stadium where the last piece of turf is being laid by ODA Chairman John Armitt. London Olympic Stadium designed by Populous: London Olympic Stadium images © Morley von Sternberg Rod Sheard, Senior Principal at Populous, the Stadium architect said: “The construction of the world’s most environmentally friendly Olympic Stadium has taken just over 1,000 days, in the world of major construction it could be considered a sprint, its completion marks the beginning of the end of the construction phase of London’s Olympic Games. We can now all look forward to just under 500 days of the final preparation to when the world will see this innovative design perform for the first time.” London Olympic Stadium designed by Populous: London Olympic Stadium images from ODA 22 Feb 2011 Latest aerial photos from the London Olympics site: Olympic building images from ODA London Olympic Stadium is shortlisted for the LEAF Awards 2011 LEAF Awards : Shortlisted Buildings + Architects 24 Jan 2011 London Olympic Stadium Future - West Ham or Spurs? London 2012 chairman Lord Coe slams Tottenham Hotspur's Olympic Stadium plans Two major London football clubs are bidding to re-use the Olympics Stadium, which is designed for athletics, not football. Spurs are battling West Ham for the right to take control of the stadium and if successful, plan to knock the stadium down and replace it with one that they say is more suitable for hosting football. They do, however, state that they would redevelop the current athletics facilities at Crystal Palace, in south London. Chairman of the 2012 London Olympics Lord Coe has slammed Tottenham's plans to occupy the Olympic Stadium in east London following the Games. London Olympics Stadium Building - more background / archive information 21 Dec 2010 London Olympic Stadium Building 2012 OLYMPIC STADIUM LIGHTS DESIGNED TO POSITION THE STADIUM AND LONDON AS A BEACON FOR THE EVENT London - 21 December 2010 Last night the lights were switched on for the first time to illuminate the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, designed by global architecture and design practice Populous. The Prime Minister, David Cameron attended an exclusive ceremony within the Stadium to officially turn the lights on. Olympic building images © Populous Rod Sheard, Senior Principal of Populous said: “Light has proved to be one of man's greatest achievements, today light is filling our Olympic Stadium and it signals the beginning of the end of the 2012 Olympic Games construction phase - Populous is proud to have played a part in bringing light to a part of London that was in darkness. In designing the stadium we knew that lighting would need to be one of the most important factors, both to illuminate the athletes and to ensure the stadium became the beacon of the event and of London at nightfall. We are thrilled to have reached this milestone for the project." Olympic building images from ODA The symbolism of the date chosen for the ‘Lights on’ was no coincidence, 20th December (20.12), and this key landmark in the construction process demonstrates how the games are becoming a physical reality for London in the build up to London 2012.   images from ODA London 2012 Olympic Stadium lighting images / information from Populous 17 Nov 2010 London Olympics Stadium Building Latest photos from the London Olympics site: photos from Olympic Delivery Authority Designer: Populous (formerly HOK Sport) London Olympic Stadium : Building Progress News 15 Dec 2009 Olympic Stadium raises the roof The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has today announced that the cable net roof of the Olympic Stadium has been lifted into place, ensuring that the Stadium project remains on target for completion by the summer of 2011. The cable net is formed between the outer white steel roof truss and an inner tension ring 30m above the field of play. Over 900 tonnes of scaffolding and over a kilometre of support platforms were used to assembled over 12,000m of cables and the walkways. It took four weeks and 56 hydraulic jacks to lift the 450 tonne structure into place. London Olympic Stadium images from the ODA The Olympic Stadium cable net roof will be covered with material next Spring providing the correct conditions for athletes on the field of play and covering two-thirds of spectators. ODA Chairman John Armitt said: "The successful lift of the Stadium's cable roof is another milestone reached on the construction of this flagship venue. It has been a complex engineering and construction challenge, complicated by the wind and rain in recent weeks. We remain firmly on track and will lift the lighting towers into place early next year, taking the Olympic Stadium to its full height. "We continue to make good progress across the project though there are still challenges ahead. The next year will be our toughest as the number of workers increases and activity on the Olympic Park reaches its peak so we cannot afford any complacency." Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: "This is another important milestone for the Olympic Stadium, which will be the centrepiece of the Games in 2012. It is exciting to see so much progress being made on the Stadium and on all of the Olympic Park which is becoming reality, with a landscape that will transform East London at Games time and beyond." Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: "Raising the roof is yet another important milestone on the road to the Games. Iconic venues such as the Stadium and the Aquatics Centre will come to symbolise London in 2012 and, thanks to the rapid progress of the build, they are already having a real impact on the London skyline. "The fact that we keep hitting our key milestones on or ahead of schedule means that we are now looking ahead to what is perhaps the most intensive and challenging period of the build with excitement and confidence." Construction on the London Olympic Stadium started in May 2008 and progress to date has included: - Over 4,500 reinforced concrete columns installed as the foundations - 28 steel sections of the roof compression truss lifted into place - each weigh 85 tonnes and are 15m high by 30m long - 112 steel rakers fixed to act as the terracing supports to hold the 55,000 seats in the upper tiers - 12,000 pre-cast concrete terracing units for the seating installed - All five bridges and their abutments in place, connecting the Stadium island to the rest of the Park - the fit-out of the 700 rooms and spaces within the London Olympic Stadium, including changing rooms and toilets is progressing. Next year, a 650 tonne crane will be assembled in the middle of the Olympic Stadium site to lift the 28m high lighting gantries on to inner ring of the cable net roof, taking them 60m above the field of play. Olympic Stadium Building : Latest Images 16 Jul 2009 Arena External Structure Complete The construction of the Olympic Stadium external structure has been completed today as the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) published its Annual Report. The Olympic Stadium roof structure, which will support the fabric roof, and the black steel rakers, which act as the terracing supports for the upper tier 55,000 seats, have today been completed to form the outer shell of the London Olympic Stadium, just fourteen months after construction started on the flagship venue. ODA Chairman John Armitt said: "The Olympic Stadium has already changed the east London skyline and is a visible symbol of the strong progress that has been made on the Olympic Park over the last year. With almost three years to go before the start of the London 2012 Games, we are in a strong position and everyone on the project is committed to making the next year as successful as the last. 18 Mar 2009 Latest images released of Olympic Stadium Building London Olympic Stadium Building : Construction Progress 27 Nov 2008 Aerial pictures show London 2012 site is changing capital's skyline New aerial pictures released today by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) shows the rapid progress that has already been made to transform the Olympic Park and change east London's skyline. The 'before and after' pictures, taken over a year apart, show comparative aerial views of the main Olympic Park venues. "These images clearly show the solid progress that has already been made on the ground. With old buildings and overhead pylons coming down, and new venues and infrastructure going up, the skyline of east London is starting to change. 75 pence of every pound we are spending is a long-term investment in the area. The work we are doing will leave a lasting legacy of world class sports venues, new roads, bridges and energy networks, thousands of new homes and a brand new urban park." The latest set of aerial shots, taken earlier this month, also show: - the shape of London Olympic Stadium bowl and steel seating frame - the footprint of the London Olympic Velodrome - the southern roof support for the Aquatic Centre - piling cranes laying the foundations for the Olympic Village - a cleared site for the IBC/MPC - several buildings already being built at the Stratford City site An additional webcam has been launched on the Aquatic Centre site, taking the total to seven cameras installed across the Olympic Park showing updated images throughout the day on the London 2012 website. London Olympic Stadium architect : Populous London 2012 Olympics Athletes’ Stadium - images, 7Nov 2007

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