LONDON 2012 - Summer Olympic Games / Games of the XXX Olympiad

[RobH]

Olympic Park fly-through March 2010

[isaidso]

Everything looks splendid. I hope you guys get as much jubilation from hosting in 2012 as we did in 2010. The Olympics really is a fabulous thing for any country to host. Good luck UK!

[RobH]

New Aerial Photos

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has today released new aerial images of construction progress on the Olympic Park showing the ‘big build’ firmly on track as the project continues in its busiest year to date.

The new aerial images, taken earlier this month, show the construction progress on the ‘big five’ venues (Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Olympic Village, Velodrome and IBC/MPC) as well as further progress on the new infrastructure and landscaping works across the Olympic Park that will help create the UK’s largest urban park for over a century. The new images follow the latest figures released by the ODA last week which show there are nearly 10,000 people currently working on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village.

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(thanks to DarJoLe for uploading all these onto Flickr)

[Cauê]

AMAZING!

[PortoNuts]

Grandstand views of Olympic Stadium as it begins to take final shape

Work on the Olympic Stadium is nearing completion - as these exclusive images reveal.

The Evening Standard was given unprecedented access to the £533 million venue to see how it will operate during the 2012 Games.

Much of the activity is focused on the grandstand - or west stand - which will be a VIP haven, warm-up area for athletes and main operational hub.

In the 3,000-capacity middle tier, reserved mainly for dignitaries and special guests, pitchside hospitality boxes and a 400-seat restaurant overlooking the river Lea are already taking shape. "VIP meals" will be prepared offsite and served from two kitchens.

The royal box will be in this enclosure, where tickets for top events will command four-figure sums.

To the right of the hospitality boxes, the operational nerve centre will be home to the emergency services.

The ground level of this stand will be a hive of behind-the-scenes action. Shower areas and lavatories have been fitted and tiled, with other rooms dedicated to doping control and athlete registration. There is a multi-faith room, a relaxation room for resting competitors and an air-conditioned 82-metre indoor warm-up track for athletes to use shortly before they are called into the stadium.

A media enclave in the south-west corner of the venue comprises a press conference room and a workroom for 1,000 journalists.

Outside, the PVC roof that will cover two thirds of spectators is half way to completion, with the daredevil project carried out by the Olympic site's own "spidermen". Employed by German firm Seele, the abseilers and climbers fund their hobby by erecting tensile fabric roofs.

In the stadium "bowl", diggers are levelling the field of play and drains and ducts are being excavated before the turf is laid. The 400-metre running track will be installed to exacting standards - with a tolerance of one millimetre in every metre. It will be one of the last projects before the stadium's completion next summer, when the first of a series of test events will begin.

Olympic Delivery Authority project manager Ian Crockford said construction work was in the "home straight". He added: "We are three quarters of the way through the build. We're getting the roof finished, the seats are arriving very shortly and all the lights are up. Inside we are painting and tiling. Then we test the air conditioning and pipeworks and do a final test."

The stadium has been designed to be reduced from 80,000 to 25,000 seats after the Games. However, it could be converted to a 50,000-seat venue if West Ham football club succeed in their bid to take over the venue.

Mr Crockford said whoever used it would find a fantastic atmosphere. "We got the crowd as close as we could to the field of play. We've developed something unique to build a permanent legacy."


Build it and they will come: the view from the top of the west stand of the Olympic Stadium as diggers level the playing field. The west stand will host the royal box and a 400-seat restaurant.


Grand entry: walking out from the west stand to the site of the start of the 100m track


In the net: "spidermen" are suspended high above the stands as they work on the roof


At the heart of things: the indoor warm-up track underneath the west stand


Best seats in the house: the 3,000-seat royal and VIP area takes shape in the west stand middle tier


Behind the scenes: showers and changing areas are already fitted and tiled

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...final-shape.do

[PortoNuts]

by Andy Wilkes.

Aquatic Centre

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Handball Arena

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Basketball Arena

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originally posted by DarJoLe.

[RobH]

Basketball arena on the right, velodrome on the left.

[eMKay]

I see landscaping going in. Counting down the days until tickets go on sale.

[rafamlopes]

Originally Posted by RobH

Basketball arena on the right, velodrome on the left.

Is the Basketball arena a temporary venue?

[AdidasGazelle]

Originally Posted by rafamlopes

Is the Basketball arena a temporary venue?

Yes it is.

[PortoNuts]

Athletes' Village new homes and community facilities take shape


04 Jun 2010
london 2012.com

New images released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today show the new homes and community facilities taking shape in the Athletes’ Village, two years since construction work began.

The Athletes’ Village, which lies adjacent to the Olympic Park, will accommodate athletes and officials during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the Games the Village will deliver the legacy of 2,818 new homes for east London, of which 1,379 will be affordable, owned and managed by Triathlon Homes. The new homes will be built across 11 residential plots and will be joined by new parks and open spaces.

Construction work started on the Athletes’ Village in June 2008 and three-quarters of the residential plots in the Village are now structurally complete. The structure of the world-class new education campus being built in the Village, Chobham Academy, is coming out of the ground with the second floor of the four-storey building now structurally complete. Earthworks are also now underway on the site of the state-of-the-art new Polyclinic in the Village that will provide healthcare facilities for existing local communities and the new residents that will live in the Village after 2012.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'Two years on from the start of construction on the Athletes’ Village and the project is firmly on track with the legacy of quality new homes for Londoners taking shape. Together with the new homes we are building, the progress being made on Chobham Academy and the Polyclinic site also shows the education and healthcare legacy we are delivering at the heart of the Village plans.'

Seb Coe, Chair of London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'Delivering a first-class Athletes’ Village is an essential part of the support we will provide for athletes to ensure they can focus on giving the performance of a lifetime at the London 2012 Games. The Village will be one of the key features of the Olympic Park and the new homes and community facilities being built will be another part of the powerful legacy the Games will leave the local area.'

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: 'With these images we are starting to see just what the Athletes’ Village will look like in 2012. The top-quality accommodation that will be home to athletes will also become a cornerstone of the East London community long after the Games are over, providing iconic new housing for thousands of people.'

The 11 residential plots in the Athletes’ Village are each made up of 6–8 buildings, built in a rectangular layout around a traditional courtyard area. After 2012, the Village will leave a lasting legacy and a new community in east London including:
New Homes for Londoners

* 2,818 new homes in legacy including 1,379 affordable homes
* Family housing with nearly 1,000 three and four bed homes

New parklands, courtyards and open space

* Courtyard areas with gardens, play areas and open space
* More than 10 hectares of new parks and open space
* New public squares, tree-lined streets, and landscaped courtyards

A world-class education campus

* Chobham Academy, with 1,800 places for students aged 3-19
* Nursery, primary and secondary schools, including a sixth-form with adult learning facilities
* Day Care Facilities for children from 0-5 years old, located on the school site, and fully integrated into the nursery and lower school
* A sports facility for the Academy and the community

A state-of-the-art Polyclinic

* Community facilities and healthcare facilities co-located in a four storey 5,000 sq m building with car parking and cycle spaces
* Full range of primary healthcare services run by NHS Newham including multiple GP surgeries, outpatient activity, physiotherapy services, a children’s clinic and diagnostic facilities including X-ray and ultrasound
* Other healthcare facilities including dentistry, optometry and ancillary services

The structures of all 11 residential plots in the Village will be completed later in the summer, with the external cladding works well underway and the internal fit-out of the buildings starting. The Athletes’ Village is due for completion in early 2012.

Triathlon Homes (a joint venture company established by First Base and housing associations Southern Housing Group and East Thames Group) has purchased 1,379 of the new homes in the Athletes’ Village which will become available as affordable housing after 2012. The aim is to create affordable, high quality homes for local people which are intrinsic to the regeneration of the area and to ensure a successful legacy for Stratford and the wider east London community after the Games.

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http://www.london2012.com/press/medi...ities-take.php

[PortoNuts]

Architects draw up plans to adapt ExCeL centre for Olympics



Allies & Morrison, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and Populous have drawn up plans to adapt London’s ExCeL conference centre into a venue for the 2012 Olympics.

The team’s proposals – which are expected to be approved by Newham Council this evening – include a main entry plaza with 1,000sq m of tents and canopies, in an open area of around 8,000 sq m.

The centre itself will be divided into five arenas suitable for seven Olympic and six Paralympic sports, including table tennis and judo, with extra facilities including training facilities built around it.

There will also be back-of-house facilities including warm-up areas and a broadcast compound.

The inclusive design will include water fountains for guide dogs. The entire development will be surrounded by a temporary security fence.

Up to 40,000 spectators are expected to visit the centre daily during the games.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/archi...000729.article

[Mo Rush]

They make it sound like rocket science.

[guy4versa4]

[PortoNuts]

London 2012 Main Press Centre on track as windows fitted to 30,000sq m building

16 Jun 2010
london2012.com

The concrete structure enabling journalists from around the world to provide round-the-clock news coverage during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is complete.

New pictures released today by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) show how the 29,000sq m Main Press Centre (MPC), which will cater for 5,600 journalists, is moving steadily towards its finish date in summer 2011, with a number of windows already in place on three sides.

It is the first time in an Olympic Games that the print facility will be based next to its broadcast counterpart – the 55,000sq m International Broadcast Centre (IBC).

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'The Main Press Centre will provide ample space and quality provision for regional, national and international journalists and staff. Work is gathering pace as we enter our busiest construction phase.

'This is the first time press and broadcasters will be based in the same area and marks a significant effort to make the best use of space within the Olympic Park. The buildings are designed to be converted into business facilities after the Games to serve the community for years to come.'

The IBC/MPC will provide a base for over 20,000 reporters, photographers, broadcasters and support staff across more than 80,000sq m. A catering village will serve an expected 50,000 meals every 24 hours and a 200m high street will have a hairdressing salon, post office, general store, bank, ATMs and a bar. There will also be a temporary Main Press Conference room between the IBC and MPC that will cater for up to 700 journalists at a time.

After the Games the facilities will create significant and much-needed business space in Hackney, with the potential to generate new employment opportunities.

The MPC will offer state-of-the-art utilities, power and digital connectivity. It is based over five floors of office space designed to be converted in legacy mode for either single or multiple tenants.

Designers have ensured the building is able to be easily converted for legacy use after the Games. Innovations designed to meet demanding green building standards in legacy include a 2,500sq m ‘brown roof’ of gravel and moss to encourage invertebrates. This matches an aim to collect 60 percent of non-drinking water across the Olympic Park, which can then be reused in a number of ways, such as for flushing toilets.

Facilities available in the MPC during Games time will include:

* Five conference rooms for 1,140 people, 50 broadcast cameras, around 100 photographers and nine translation booths.
* A photographers’ workroom with space for approximately 300 photographers.
* A press workroom with around 800 workstations.
* More than 150 private office spaces (for up to 100 staff) for agencies and newspaper organisations from around the world to rent.
* A dedicated internet café, TV room, results distribution centre, help desks and support functions.

A firm from Host Borough Greenwich constructed the MPC foundations, while the concrete frame was constructed by a company based in Teddington, Surrey. Another Surrey business won the contract for the external cladding, which has now started to be installed.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'These images demonstrate the progress we are making in delivering the best facilities for the 20,000 members of the world’s broadcasters, press and photographers in the summer of 2012.

'Billions of people around the world rely on the international media to relay the stories of human endeavour on the field of play and capture the atmosphere of the Games. The impressive plans for the IBC/MPC will help us tell these stories while leaving high performance workspace after the Games for the east of London.'

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, which is responsible for the long term development planning, management and maintenance of the Olympic Park Site after the Games, said: 'The Main Press Centre will become an important business and employment site after the Games. The building has been designed with flexibility in mind and can be split into different configurations depending on the requirements of market demand.'

Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney, said: 'The International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre will provide permanent employment space after the Games, bringing a vital economic legacy to Hackney and east London. This will allow the digital, creative and media industries the space they need to expand, while creating high quality jobs - these industries are long established in Hackney and we would like to see them given this important opportunity. We are working closely with our Olympic partners and the industry to secure this legacy on behalf of Hackney’s residents.'

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http://www.london2012.com/press/medi...sq-m-build.php

[PortoNuts]

VeloPark

by jdjones.

[eMKay]

Olympic Stadium excellent, Velodrome and Aquatics center are spectacular, Basketball arena is ehhh, temporary so that's acceptable. Coming along nicely.

[RobH]

The basketball arena is ehhh in day time, but games will be played late in the evenings, and the lighting that's planned for it looks spectacular.

A great overhead of the park from Al Green on Flickr:

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[PortoNuts]

Yep, all the lighting shemes will do half the job and make it look wonderful.

[PortoNuts]

Aquatics Centre

by jdjones.