LONDON | Stadiums + Arenas: U/C, Approved + Proposed

[nito]

And another panorama of the Olympic site this time looking northwards.

From left to right foreground:
- Site of the warm-up track, currently the railyard for delivery of aggregates
- Sewage recycling station (in purple)
- Viewtube (in lime) - containers converted into a viewing platfor for the Olympic site
- The Great Eastern Main Line - one of the two main lines that run into London Liverpool Street (ie Square Mile)
- Main entrance of the southern spectator transport mall



Left to right centre:
- Olympic Stadium
- Aquatic Centre
- Westfield Stratford (shopping centre)
- Stratford Regional Station


Left to right background:
- IBC, Energy Centre and Handball Arena
- Velodrome and Basketball Hall
- Olympic Village

Link to 4252x1197 pano file: http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4...mdatl065hi.jpg

[nito]

Two Years To Go

London is now at the half way stage with two years to go before the start of London 2012. To celebrate this achievement the stadium roof is now complete.

[nito]

2012 London Olympics

Photos taken by Andy Wilkes at flickr.com

Aquatics Centre








Basketball Hall




Olympic Stadium




Aquatics Centre, Basketball Hall + Olympic Village Pano




London Media Centre
At each Olympics, some 25,000 journalists gaina accrediation to comment, write, report and broadcast on events that occur at the Olympics. These journalists will be housed at the International Broadcasting/Media Centre in the Olympic Park.

However there are thousands of other journalists who are not accredited, and as such the host city can arrange for them to be located at another venue. Late last month it was announced that the non-accredited journalists would be housed at One Great George St, which while not in the Olympic Park is next door to the Houses of Parliament.




Eton Dorney

Pictures taken by diamond geezer at Flickr.com of the rowing centre that is pretty much complete other than event facilities and temporary seating that will be built closer to the time.








White Water Centre

The canoe centre is coming along nicely. Pics taken by diamond geezer at Flickr.com





Velodrome

Images and text sourced by DarJoLe at SSC.

New images and webcam show work underway on London 2012 Velodrome track
16 Sep 2010

New images and a new webcam were unveiled by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today showing work underway to install the timber cycling track of the London 2012 Velodrome.

The 6,000 seat Velodrome will host the Olympic and Paralympic Track Cycling events in 2012. After the Games, the legacy Velodrome will be used by elite athletes and the local community and will include a café, bike hire and cycle workshop facilities.

With the distinct double-curved roof of the Velodrome covered and the building watertight, work is now underway to install the timber cycling track. The ODA is aiming to create the world’s fastest cycling track by tailoring the track geometry and setting the temperature and environmental conditions within the venue to create record-breaking conditions. The venue has also been being designed with seating all the way round the track to create the best possible crowd atmosphere during events.



A team of 26 specialist carpenters have now installed 356 vertical timber support trusses that will support the track. With the support trusses now in place, 56km of surface timber will be laid to form the track surface.

The track surface will be built from a sustainably-sourced Siberian pine, specially selected because the trees are known for being straight and tall making them suitable for the lengths of timber required to shape the track. The extreme Siberian climate also means the timber is very stable and will not shrink or contract in the environmental conditions of the Velodrome.

A new webcam showing the progress being made on the Velodrome track is now available on the London 2012 website at http://www.london2012.com/webcams/ve...e-internal.php. New images of work on the Velodrome track can be downloaded from http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePat...av=pr141229966.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'The start of work on the Velodrome track is a significant milestone and takes us another step closer to this becoming the first Olympic Park venue to be completed early next year.



'Seeing the track beginning to take shape gives us a first look at where we hope world records will be broken in 2012 and where a new generation of cyclists will be able to take to their bikes for many years to come.'

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: 'It is exciting to see the progress on the Velodrome track. Cycling is a huge Olympic and Paralympic sport and this world-class venue will be a fantastic setting for spectators - hopefully inspiring many of them to try out the sport long after the Games have finished.'

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: 'The Velodrome is one venue where we expect a great medal haul from British athletes on what will be an exceptionally fast track. Post the Games, the venue will be a first-rate facility for elite athletes and community users alike that will help us develop Britain’s cycling stars of the future.'

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which will own and manage the Velodrome in legacy, said: 'It’s incredibly exciting to witness the transformation of the Velodrome into one of the stars of Olympic Park.

'As the owners and managers of the VeloPark in legacy we’ll make sure this venue delivers a world-class programme, welcoming cyclists of all levels and disciplines to train, race or just simply cycle for fun. It will be an integral part of the chain of sporting excellence being created in the 10,000 acre Lee Valley Regional Park.'



Construction work started on the Velodrome in March 2009 and the venue is on track to be completed early next year, making it the first Olympic Park venue to be completed. After the Games, a road cycle circuit and mountain bike course will be added to the Velodrome and BMX circuit to create a legacy VeloPark that will combine cycling facilities across all disciplines in one cycling ‘hub’.

The legacy VeloPark will be owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. The construction of the VeloPark facilities includes funding from Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA), Sport England, Transport for London (TfL), and the London Marathon Charitable Trust (LMCT).

Velodrome facilities:
* 250m UCI (International Cycling Union) approved indoor track and 100m warm-up circuit
* 6,000 seats and 360 degree public poncourse in legacy for viewing all cycling activities
* Legacy café, changing rooms, cycle workshop, and storage for over 300 bikes
* Legacy bike hire outlet for families to hire bikes to use the new cycling facilities
* Venue will be linked into cycle routes across London, linking the new venue with the whole of the capital

Velodrome design:
* Distinct Velodrome roof designed to reflect the geometry of the cycling track
* The 6,000 seats are split into a lower and upper tier, allowing a 360 degrees concourse level in between with a continuous ribbon of full height windows
* The 360-degree glazed concourse level in legacy will offer spectators inside the Velodrome views out onto the rest of the Olympic Park and across the London skyline, while allowing people outside of the Velodrome views into the venue and down onto the cycling track



Construction:
* Some 48,000 cubic metres of material was excavated to create the bowl for the Velodrome, enough to fill 19 50m swimming pools
* More than 900 piles were driven up to 26m beneath the ground to complete the foundations of the venue
* More than 2,500 sections of steelwork were installed to complete the steel structure of the Velodrome
* The cable-net roof is 12,000sq m in size and uses 16km of cabling
* A team of 26 specialist carpenters have installed 356 vertical timber support trusses that will support the track
* 56km of surface timber will be laid to form the track surface. The track surface will be built from a sustainably-sourced Siberian pine

Sustainability elements:
* The building has been designed to be lightweight and efficient to reflect the efficient design of a bicycle
* The use of abundant daylight through strategically positioned rooflights reduces need for artificial lighting and allows natural ventilation
* Water saving fittings and collection of rainwater for reuse in building are built into design to help reduce water consumption
* Compact design minimises energy consumed to heat the main arena
* Lightweight cable-net roof structure weighs 30kg/m2 compared to 65kg/m2 for the Beijing Velodrome, helping create a highly efficient building

[nito]

Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium

Spurs have been awarded planning approval for their new 56,250 capacity stadium. The design of the stadium means that they can continue to play without a fall in capacity even when half the stadium is half built. Currently financing is being agreed on the £400mn development which will also include a hotel, museum, supermarket and residential units.

Once complete, this will become London's fourth largest stadium (after Wembley, Twickenham, and the Emirates) until the rumoured new West Ham and Chelsea stadiums become concrete (both rumoured to have a capacity each of 60,000). Images sourced from www.tottenhamhotspurs.com


























Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium

Brighton & Hove's new 22,000 stadium is coming along nicely. Located amongst the rural hills of the south-coast it is 30mins due south of London. Pics taken by SSC forum member BHAlad.

I saw this for the first time in person about two months ago and it is boggling how they managed to fit the stadium in within the hills.












Olympic Hockey & Paralympic Football Centre

16,000 capacity arena to the north of the Olympic Stadium. Renders sourced by Mo Rush at SSC.

[wrab]

Looking good - thanks for the great update.

[nito]

London 2012 Volleyball Arena

Plans have been unveiled for the 15,000 capacity temporary arena to be errected in Horse Guards Parade. For those not in the know - Horse Guards Parade is a ceremonial parade ground that is located inbetween Whitehall and St James's Park and equidistant between Trafalgar Square and the Palace of Westminster. Expect lots of aerial shots during the games.

108 matches will be played over the course of 14 days and once the games are over the entire structure will be taken down.

[RobH]

Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium

Either Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

OR

Tottenham Hotspur's Stadium



Great updates though!

[Obey]

Woah this is looking really cool

[RobH]

London 2012 Documentary / Promotional films from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

OLYMPIC PARK. Some great views across the park, info about how the parklands are being created and some very nice CGI of the venues in this one:
• Video Link

AQUATICS CENTRE. Great film of the whole roof being lifted after the supports were removed. The shots at the start are old renders of the Olympic Park though:
• Video Link

VELODROME. Really wonderful film of the cable-net roof being lifed and some good overhead shots too
• Video Link

SOIL CLEANING. Not the most exciting film, but more Olympic Park stuff
• Video Link

[RobH]

New aerial pictures have been released of the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, as the IOC arrives for an inspection visit. The grass and running track will be laid next year. All venues are set to be handed over by next July.



A closer view of the iconic Aquatics Centre, where the permanent structure and wave-shaped roof is in place. Work is under way on the Games-time temporary seating stands, ceiling timber cladding and concrete dive boards.



The Velodrome structure is complete and watertight and the timber track is being installed. The ODA says the Velodrome is on target to be the first Olympic Park sporting venue to be completed in early 2011.



The "shrink-wrapped" Basketball Arena, where 12,000 seats are being installed. Lifts, toilets and external service rooms are under construction.



More than three-quarters of the residential plots in the Athletes' Village are structurally complete and the first stage of landscaping has begun.



After the Games, the village will be used for housing. It includes a new school, Chobham Academy (above), which is taking shape as part of the Olympic Park build.



The structures of the International Press Centre and multi-storey car park are all complete and work has started on the temporary "high street" for journalists and broadcasters during the Games.



Link to BBC

[RobH]

And a few more.

Stadium:





Handball arena:



Eton Manor:

[RobH]

And lastly, some stunning panormas of the Park as a whole. Thanks to DarJoLe for uploading these:

[nito]

London 2012 Olympic Update

London 2012 Interactive Panorama

Definately worth checking out - with this panoramaic view you can see all the major venues, the Olympic Village, permanent and temporary bridges, the Westfield Stratford shopping mall and the crazy rail infrastructure.
http://toursfromabove.com/aerial-pho...-construction/


Lea Valley White Water Centre

This is now pretty much complete as of December 2010 - the Olympic and Intermediate courses are now operational. All that remains is the creation of a viewing hill to be created on the large plot of bare land and planting of trees and other greenery. Located due north of the Olympic Park, the White Water Centre is built adjacent to the River Lea which eventually flows through the Olympic Park on its way to the Thames. Pictures taken by flickr member canoeslalomnews.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmP1JY-XPo0


























Basketball Arena

The seating for the 12,000 arena is starting to go in now. Webcam pic sourced by RobH at SSC from london2012.com




Volleyball Venue

Approval has now been given for the construction of a temporary venue on the grounds of Horse Guards Parade.



Handball Arena

This should be completed in the next 14 weeks - the multi-coloured seating is now being installed as is the flooring. Pics sourced from skyscrapercity.com member RMB2007.






Aquatics Centre

The temporary stands are now almost complete, while work continues on tiling the pool.

Internal pictures sourced from the Daily Mail. External pics taken by skyscrapercity.com member wawd












Olympic Stadium

Pics taken by SSC.com member wawd












The Orbit

Located inbetween the Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Centre is the 115m viewing platform being funded by the Indian-born London-resident steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and designed by Anish Kapoor. Pics taken by wawd over at SSC.

[nito]

Post-London 2012 Olympic Stadium

During the Olympics, the stadium will have a capacity of 80,000, with the original plan to see it reduced to 25,000 after the Olympics to leave a sustainable legacy for London (ie no repeat of Beijing's white elephant). In recent weeks however, plans have been afoot to potentially see the stadium converted into a mixed-use stadium with the key tenants being either West Ham or Tottenham Hotspurs (two of London's major football sides).

Tottenham's plan would have seen the Olympic Stadium completely demolished for a purpose-built football stadium; athletics would be relocated to a modernised Crystal Palace stadium (located in south London) with a capacity of up to 45,000. West Ham's bid would involve the retention of the track and a 60,000 capacity; the later plan was viewed as keeping in-line with London's committments to the International Olympic Committee when London was awarded the games.

There was much debate about completely demolishing the Olympic Stadium, and various polls indicated that most Londoners (even non-football fans) were in favour of the West Ham bid and retention of the athletics track at Stratford. Fans from both teams were unsettled by making the move despite Spurs' current home of White Hart Lane being only 9km to the north and West Ham's current home at Upton Park 3km to the east of the Stratford site..

It was then announced last week by the company that has been tasked with the post-Olympics legacy that the West Ham bid be recommended to take over the stadium. The official decision should be announced by the government & London mayor in a few weeks, but it is highly doubtful that they will opt for the Spurs bid.

Come 2014, London will have another 60,000 capacity stadium, making it the joint-third largest stadium in London (Wembley: 90,000, Twickenham: 82,500, Emirates: 60,000).

[RobH]

A big post coming up but full of new aerial photos released today by London 2012:

from the London 2012 website (thanks to DarJoLe for downloading and putting onto Flickr)

STADIUM









PARKLANDS







VELODROME











OLYMPIC VILLAGE





AQUATICS CENTRE










BASKETBALL ARENA



PARK

[Obey]

Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond's "London Orbit" Rising Fast
http://archrecord.construction.com/n...n_olympics.asp

Numerous structures are on course for completion in time for the London 2012 Summer Olympics, including a few that are uniquely shaped. Perhaps the strangest is a steelwork monument that will rise 114.5 meters, serving as an icon for the Olympic Park.

The red steelwork being built just outside the main stadium’s entrance, so far around 40 m tall, is the diagrid stem of the fantastic 15,000-tonne sculpture known as the Orbit.

The structure is the creation of U.K.-based artist Anish Kapoor and structural engineer Cecil Balmond, former deputy chairman of the engineering firm Arup Group. Ltd., London.

The team’s seemingly unstable tower/sculpture won a design competition in 2010 promoted by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Like a loosely knotted rope frozen in space, Orbit’s diagrid tube will rise about 80 m to a 20-m-dia, two-floor observation deck, before twisting and turning around itself.

With constantly changing sectional dimensions in its roughly 500-m-long trajectory, the structure will be connected by steel brackets welded to points on the vertical tower. The snaking tube will be grounded at piled foundations at two points, forming its second and third structural legs.

Detailed design work began after the mayor procured in February 2010 a single donation covering 86% of Orbit’s $36-million budget from Lakshmi Mittal, chairman and CEO of Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal SA. The firm secured naming rights, dubbing the monument the ArcelorMittal Orbit.

To help develop Orbit’s shape, Arup’s engineers made extensive use of in-house 3D simulation software, says associate director Francis Archer. The entire design process was done “in the virtual world,” he adds. Because of the geometrical complexity, “you cannot show the structure in 2D drawing,” says Holger Falter, Arup’s associate responsible for the structural design.

“As soon as you freeze the geometry, you put in the loading, [which] allows you to dimension the structural members,” Falter says. His team used Arup’s GSA software program for analysis and design. The firm defined Orbit’s geometry—for use by the fabricator—with Tekla software, he adds.

Rising from a roughly 30-m-dia ring of pile caps, the vertical main steel diagrid—about 8.5 m in diameter—will enclose two elevators leading to the observation platforms. Emergency stairs, enclosed in steel mesh, will spiral down the diagrid’s exterior. A 40-tonne, pendulum-tuned mass damper will curb wind vibrations.

To get Orbit built, ArcelorMittal negotiated a design-build contract with Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd., Hemmel Hempstead, which leads construction of the stadium adjacent to the monument. Stadium subcontractor Watson Steel Structures Ltd., Bolton, is fabricating the steel, supplied by ArcelorMittal. A small team from Watson’s affiliate, Steelcraft Erection Services Ltd., Dalton, is putting up the diagrid.

Watson is fabricating the diagrid nodes as “stars,” each with six “arms.” Some of the “arms” for the diagrid are about two m long, including tubes with diameters of up to 51 centimeters. The “stars” are trucked as individual pieces to London, which is 320 km away.

Eight stars form each diagrid ring of the tower’s stem. Above the observation platform, the diagrid will have four nodes per level. These nodes reduce to some three meters across, small enough for Watson to weld into assemblies of four nodes.

To ensure a good fit, the fabricator pre-assembles whole sections of diagrid before dismantling them for transportation to the site.

The team began raising Orbit’s 570 stars with a mobile crane in late January. Each star is being bolted to preceding elements. For work at higher levels, the erectors will mobilize a 450-tonne-capacity crawler crane, with a 135-m-tall jib.

Piling was completed in October, allowing diagrid erection to start, with Watson fabricating eight stars a week. Despite its numerous elements, the structure is rising well within tolerances, says Chris Hall, McAlpine’s design manager. “If it starts going out of alignment, it’s difficult to get back,” he adds.

The tower is due for completion by summer, well before the July 2012 start of the games. After the games, it will be operated under a concession, expected to be awarded soon by its owner, the Olympic Park Legacy Co. The company expects that one million people a year will visit the structure after the dust of the Olympics settles and the park becomes a public space.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit will be the last project delivered of the more than 20 being built by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in the park and elsewhere in the U.K. With the Velodome handed over for use last month, 80% of venue work done and new grass growing in the park, ODA design director Alison Nimmo says, “We are very comfortable with where we are.”

[nito]

London 2012 Olympic Update

All images sourced by woodgnome at SSC (unless otherwise stated); taken by www.london2012.com. I hope you aren't using dial-up to access this thread!


Olympic Stadium

This is now pretty much complete; and for a bonus it came in ahead of budget and three months ahead of schedule. The only remaining activities concerning the stadium are the 'wrap' (a portion is visible in the first photo) and the track which will be laid after all the rigging for the opening ceremony is complete.









Some futher interior photos sourced by Parisian Girl at SSC.








Media Centre






Olympic Village










Handball Arena

The western Energy Centre consists of the buildings to the right of the arena.




Aquatics Centre










Velopark






Basketball Arena

Random fact - this is apparently the world's largest temporary venue






Eton Manor

Site for the aquatic training centre, and wheelchair tennis. Random: rare shot as well of a Shikansen nestled between two Eurostars.






Olympic Park










Olympic Cauldron

On another matter, Thomas Heatherwick has been appointed as designer for the Olympic Caulderon. For those not aware of the name, he was the individual behind the Seed Cathedral at the Shanghai Expo held last year, the Scorpion Bridge at Paddington and the new bus for London (aka New Routemaster). So it will be interesting to see what the result will be. Images sourced from www.heatherwick.com

[Obey]

The park looks incredible! It reminds me of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

[nito]

Floating River Park

While the southbank of the Thames in London offers an excellent waterfront pedestrian route, the same can't be said of the Thames on a large section of the northbank, particularly the area between Blackfriars and the Tower of London.

Recent plans however have just been unveiled which will create a kilometer long floating park created that will run parallel to the northbank, linking up the Victoria Embankment in the west (towards Westminster) and eastwards to the Tower of London. Eight pavillions will be built along the promenade to host various events during and after the games.

The promenade is planned to be complete in time for the Olympics.
















2012 London Olympics Update

Aquatics Centre
Images sourced by woodgnome at skyscrapercity.com showing the timber roof of the Zaha Hadid Aquatics Centre.





Also for diving and concrete fans - details of the 'sculptured' diving boards:

[img]www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NQqPzZbWP0[/img]


Handball Arena

The third venue at the Olympic Park is now complete, the Handball Arena came in on time and on budget. The arena has a capacity of 6,500 and is clad in copper. Images sourced by woodgnome at skyscrapercity.com.










Shooting Venue

Designs have been unveiled for the temporary Shooting Venue, which will be held at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. The modern structure contrasts with the historic barracks which date back to 1776 (random fact: longest continuous building facade in the UK). After the Olympics, the venue will be dismanteled and reassambled elsewhere in the UK. Renders sourced by woodgnome at skyscrapercity.com.






Source: Didimendum1 at flickr.com


Hockey Arena
Latest renders of the temporary hockey arena have been published. Images sourced by Mo Rush at skyscrapercity.com












Orbit
The Olympic Park's giant sculpture continues to rise. Pictures takedn by skyscrapercity.com forum member wawd.

[nito]

London 2012: Equestrian Test Event

All Olympic Equestrian events (dressage, cross country) are due to be hosted in the grounds of the UESCO World Heritage site: Greenwich Park; however to ensure that the park isn't altered too significantly and is open to the public, the stands and other Olympic-related amenities are completely temporary.

To ensure that everything will go smoothly in a years time, and ensure that the public aren't too restricted in accessing the park, it was required to host a test event, this was subsequently held the other day.

Images 1-3: Uretopia on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/uretopia)
Image 4: Greenwich Park on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenwich_park)
Image 5: i n a r t i c u l a t e on flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wil_symons)

1 - Dressage overlooking Indigo Jones' 1614-1617 Queens House and beyond that Sir Christopher Wren's Old Royal Naval College

Source: Uretopia on Flickr

2 - The Royal Observatory at Greenwich - origin of the prime meridian

Source: Uretopia on Flickr

3 - Canary Wharf in the background

Source: Uretopia on Flickr

4 - The Venue Map

Source: Greenwich Park on Flickr

5 -
Source: i n a r t i c u l a t e on Flickr




London 2012 Olympic Stadium

Photos taken by RM BRIGHT (1 + 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmbrightimages) and Last Rounds (3: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastrounds) on Flickr. Images sourced by skyscrapercity member Mossy22.

1 - Olympic Stadium and Energy Centre in the foreground, 02 Arena and Canary Wharf in the background


2 - Olympic Stadium, with the Aquatics Centre, Orbit observation tower and Water Polo arena


3