London Stadium

Olympic Stadium

File:London Olympic Stadium (Nov 2007).jpg
Location	Stratford, London, England
Operator	Olympic Delivery Authority
Capacity	80,000 (25,000 Post Olympics)
Surface	Track & Field (Grass)
Construction
Built	(Expected completion 2011)
Construction cost	£469M
Architect	HOK Sport
Structural engineer	Buro Happold
Services engineer	Buro Happold
Main contractors	Sir Robert McAlpine
Tenants
London 2012

The London Olympic Stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The stadium will be located at Marshgate Lane in Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley and will have a capacity for the Games of approximately 80,000. Land preparation for the stadium began in mid-2007, with the official construction start date on 22 May, 2008, although piling works for the foundation unofficially began 4 weeks ahead of that date.

Design

The stadium design was launched on 7 November 2007. As a "unique 80,000 seat stadium, it will be the centrepiece for the 2012 Games, hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the athletics events, converting down to a 25,000 seat permanent stadium after the Games, when it will become a new home for athletics, combined with other sporting, community and educational uses", according to LOCOG.

The stadium's track-and-field arena has started to be excavated out of the soft clay found on the site, around which there will be seating for 25,000. The natural slope of the land will be incorporated into the design, with warm-up and changing areas occupying a semi-basement position at the lower end. A demountable lightweight steel upper tier will be built up from this “bowl” to accommodate a further 55,000 spectators.

Plastic, or perhaps an environmentally sustainable fabric, such as hemp, was initially expected to be wrapped around the stadium exterior and imprinted with a mural-type design. The wrap would have been 20 metres (66 ft) high and would have encircled the 900-metre (1,000 yd) circumference of the stadium. Both hemp and the continuous wrapping have now been ruled out. The latest designs submitted for approval to the Olympic Delivery Authority suggest that rather than a continuous strip, there will be giant slits in the wrap for the public to walk through to enter the stadium. It has since been reported in the Guardian Newspaper that a member of the stadium design team, Rod Sheard, would prefer the wrap to take the form of a continuous video screen, although no costing for this has been given. An article published on 28 August 2008 in a building trade journal suggests the wrap idea has now been superseded by plans for a series or wall of continuous banners that could take different forms, either showing projected or digital images, or specially commissioned artwork. These 2.5 m wide banners will be twisted at 90 degree angles to allow entry to the stadium at the bottom of the structure and will be held in place with tensioned cables.

There will also be no food outlets inside the 80,000-seat arena, which reduces the need for kitchens and higher levels of fire protection associated with cooking. Instead, architects have planned party concourses outside the stadium inspired by the successful fan zones at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where spectators gathered to eat and drink and watch the action on big screens. It has also been suggested that toilet areas known as "pods" could be created from recycled shipping containers with the water and sewage management self contained within, reducing the need for costly plumbing and facilitating the dismantling of the structure once in legacy mode.

blah blah=August 2008}} The roof will be made from a lightweight polymer-based membrane.

Stadium Island

The stadium site is on former industrial land between the Old River Lee (which rejoins the Navigation below Old Ford Lock), the City Mill River, and the Old Pudding Mill River; parts of the Bow Back Rivers. Another branch of this system, St Thomas' Creek, 200 metres to the south, completes an "island" surrounded by water. Two hundred metres to the east is the Waterworks River; on the eastern bank will be the Aquatics Centre.

This "island" site for the stadium lies at the southern end of the Olympic Park. The existing waterways will be modified to surround the stadium, and access will be via several footbridges positioned around the building's perimeter.

LOCOG publications and media reports have begun to refer to the site as Stadium Island due to the location and design—a name that may potentially define the site in years to come.

Development Process

On 13 October 2006 LOCOG confirmed that it had selected the Team Stadium consortium (consisting of Sir Robert McAlpine, HOK Sport + Venue + Event and Buro Happold) to start negotiations with, in hope to find the contractor fulfilling the eventual design and build contract of the new Olympic Stadium.

The ODA received international and national interest to prequalify for the design and construction tender but Team Stadium was the only consortium to meet all prequalification criteria. The consortium was also the team who delivered the locally acclaimed new Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC. Team Stadium members have extensive experience in the design and build of sports venues, including the Olympic Stadium for the 2000 Sydney Games.

Completion of the stadium is expected in summer 2011 to allow for a year of test events.

Reaction

The stadium design received a mixed response from the media, with reviews ranging from "magnificent" to a "bowl of blancmange".

The Olympic Stadium design was promoted as example of "sustainable development", but some architecture critics have questioned both its aesthetic value and suitability as a national icon - especially when compared to Beijing National Stadium. For example, Ellis Woodman (Building Design's architecture critic) said of the design:

"The principle of it being dismountable is most welcome... it demonstrates an obvious interest in establishing an economy of means and as such is the antithesis of the 2008 Olympic stadium in Beijing. But while that's an achievement, it's not an architectural achievement. In design terms what we're looking at is pretty underwhelming."

He goes on to criticise the procurement and design processes – stating of the latter that that it should have been subject to an architectural competition.

This view was echoed by Tom Dyckhoff, The Times's architecture critic, who described the design as "tragically underwhelming" and commented that the "architecture of the 2008 and 2012 Olympics will, in years to come, be seen by historians as a "cunning indicator of the decline of the West and the rise of the East".

Amanda Baillieu (Building Design magazine) challenges the designer's claims that the stadium is environmentally sustainable and good value for money. Instead it is asserted that the reality will be the opposite. In particular, she claims that:

• the temporary roof could not be re-used to cover the permanent 25 000 seating area – given the difference in size;
• it is unlikely that the removed seating would be wanted for any other event e.g. the Glasgow Commonwealth games; and
• the costs involved in dismantling the stadium – and surrounding "pods" – has not been factored into the estimated cost.

Post-Olympics

The legacy plan for the stadium will involve its conversion into a 25,000 to 30,000 seat athletics stadium with a sports training, science and medicine centre following the 2012 Paralympics. Media reports however have suggested that several potential tenants were interested in moving to the Olympic Stadium after the games, among them several London football clubs:

• Leyton Orient F.C. The closest club geographically, Leyton Orient announced in November 2007 that they were in negotiations regarding permanent tenancy after the games. This would allow for redevelopment of their existing Brisbane Road stadium and provide a regular use for the Olympic venue.

• West Ham United This proposal was advanced further following West Ham's takeover by an Icelandic consortium, with new Chairman Eggert Magnusson announcing in November 2006 that he would begin discussions with London 2012 and the government about the club eventually moving. In February 2007, West Ham announced they would not be following up negotiations with the potential move, as the stadium post-games capacity will be considerably less than their current 35,000 capacity Upton Park home.

• London Wasps R.F.C. It has been reported in the London Press and Nationally that London Wasps could move from their new home in High Wycombe to the vacant Olympic Stadium. However there has been opposition from the Buckinghamshire public and some of Wasps players, as Wasps now contribute to community life and have built up a solid fan base in the area that would be hard to recreate in East London.

• Chelsea F.C. There had also been speculation that Chelsea might move there, due to lack of room for expansion at their current stadium. However, due to the terms of the Chelsea Pitch Owners, the club would have to relinquish the name 'Chelsea Football Club' should they ever move from Stamford Bridge.

Rugby League National League 2 side London Skolars have also expressed an interest to move into the stadium following the Olympics. This would form the basis of a Super League license application, however no official moves have been made as of yet.

Despite several rounds of negotiations with potential tenants, LOCOG has elected to adhere to its bid commitment to provide a legacy for athletics at the stadium, with capacity reduced to a more financially viable 25,000. However, the newly elected Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has stated that all parties need to look carefully at the legacy plans for the stadium and has not ruled out use by either a professional football or rugby team.

See also

• Hockey Centre (London)
• Aquatics Centre (London)

External links

• London 2012 Webcam - Stadium View