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

[Walbanger]

Just briliant.

[corredor06]

Great updates can't wait

[PortoNuts]

Basketball Arena

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by PortoNuts

Basketball Arena

Wow, looks pretty cool.

[friendsofthecity]

Huh! The aquatic center must have been a daunting task for the workers with the curvy shape. What a brilliant look,though.

[PortoNuts]

Originally Posted by eMKay

Wow, looks pretty cool.

The Basketball Arena is one of my favourites The night lighting schemes will make it look better.

[friendsofthecity]

Originally Posted by PortoNuts

The Basketball Arena is one of my favourites The night lighting schemes will make it look better.

The Basketball arena is almost taking the form of the Beijing Olympic Water Cube. It's rather a mimic of something of that nature.

[PortoNuts]

Aquatics Centre

by Ciudad Bristol.

[PortoNuts]

London 2012 Velodrome hits the roof with timber ceiling now in place

02 Jul 2010
london2012.com

New images released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today show the huge roof of the London 2012 Velodrome now covered with the timber ceiling of the venue in place.

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.

The cable-net roof of the Velodrome was lifted into place earlier this year to form the distinctive double-curved shape of the venue. More than 1,000 exposed timber panels have now been lifted into place to sit on top of the cable-net structure, helping cover the roof and form the timber ceiling of the venue. The completion of the roof covering makes the Velodrome building weather-tight and allows work to continue inside the venue in preparation for the cycling track to be installed in the autumn. Work is also now underway to install the venue lighting and public address systems, handrails and balustrades and other internal finishes.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'The Velodrome will be a key focal point in the north of the Olympic Park, delivering first-class cycling facilities for the Games and a new generation of cyclists. Having the Velodrome timber ceiling in place is another glimpse of the striking design and attention to detail that have gone into delivering this highly sustainable venue. With the roof now covered, work inside the venue is well underway and the Velodrome is firmly on track to be the first Olympic Park venue to be completed early next year.'

Seb Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'This major step in the construction of the Velodrome once again shows the benefits of the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to London. In just over two years time the best athletes in the world will come to the UK for the greatest sporting event in the world. We hope that the Velodrome’s striking design will be host to some outstanding British cycling performances, as well as leaving a first rate sporting legacy after the Games.'

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: 'The roof of the Velodrome is a striking sight that interacts well with other stadia in the park and maintains the high-level of design and practicality that are the trademarks of the other stadia. After the Games, the Velodrome will be the only such facility in the south east, opening up the sport to a new generation of community participants and, hopefully, creating the next Olympic and Paralympic champions.'

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'Boasting one of the fastest cycling tracks in the world and an eye-popping 360 degree view of the action for the spectators, the Velodrome is set to be one of the jewels in the crown of the Olympic Park. Post Games-time it will contribute greatly to the capital’s sporting legacy, providing a unique facility that will serve a new generation of cycling enthusiasts. These images today show that the ODA is ploughing ahead with construction and the Games remain on time and on budget.'

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority which will own, fund and manage the Velodrome in legacy, said: 'It’s incredibly exciting to witness this stunning venue take shape. While work has been racing ahead on site we’ve been working closely with British Cycling, our partners and host boroughs to develop the legacy programme. After the Games we’ll make sure this first rate centre is truly world class, welcoming cyclists of all levels and disciplines to train, race or simply cycle for fun all year round.'

The Velodrome was also visited last week by St Robert of Newminster School in Washington, winners of the London 2012 ‘VeloDream’ competition in 2009 which asked pupils to design their own dream cycling venues of the future. The ODA have continued to work with the North East school since they won the competition and the Velodrome project team spent the day with the students when they visited St Robert of Newminster last year. The school visited the Olympic Park and Velodrome site last week to meet with the project team and view the progress being made.

Construction work started on the Velodrome in March 2009. The distinct double-curved cable-net roof has been designed to reflect the geometry of the cycling track, and features 16 kilometres of cabling and 1,000 exposed timber panels, covering an area of 13,500m2. The Velodrome is one of the most sustainable venues in the Olympic Park and the lightweight roof weighs roughly half that of any other covered Velodrome, helping create a highly-efficient building.

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 LOCOG, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA), Sport England, Transport for London (TfL), and the London Marathon Charitable Trust (LMCT).

Along with the VeloPark, in legacy Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will own and manage the Lee Valley White Water Centre and the Tennis and Hockey Centres in the Olympic Park. Each of these venues will create sporting and recreational opportunities for everyone, school children to local clubs, elite athletes to complete beginners, from the local communities and across London and the South East.

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http://www.london2012.com/press/medi...w-in-place.php

[PortoNuts]

IOC President fits 2,012th seat in Olympic Stadium

05 Jul 2010
london2012.com

The 2012th seat was today fitted in the Olympic Stadium by IOC President Jacques Rogge, London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Sebastian Coe and Olympic Delivery Authority Chief Executive David Higgins, and was witnessed by eight of the ‘Young Ambassadors’ who travelled to Singapore as part of London’s winning bid.

The external structure of the 80,000 capacity venue is complete, work has started on the field of play and the roof cover is nearing completion. The installation of the black and white seats started last week and will continue at a rate of around 700 a day.

Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee President, said: 'The Olympic Stadium is the centrepiece of the Games because it is where, during the Opening Ceremony, the athletes and spectators’ Olympic dreams become reality and it is also where the Games come to an end as the flame is extinguished after 16 days of exciting competition.

'Having helped to put the 2012th seat in place, I can now picture what spectators and athletes lucky enough to be here on 27 July 2012 will experience and I am sure that they will be impressed.

'The progress that has been made on the Stadium, and in the Olympic Park in general, is truly impressive and I congratulate the entire London 2012 team on their work.'

Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Chairman, said: 'In just over two years time, the eyes of the world will be on the Olympic Stadium. 80,000 Olympic and Paralympic fans will be there, watching athletes fulfil their dreams, and I'm honoured to be joining President Rogge to install the 2012th seat today.

'Our message to the people of the UK is that tickets go on sale in March 2011, so sign-up to our ticketing registration scheme now to be in the front row for information about tickets and seats for London 2012.'

David Higgins, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said: 'Over the last two years, the Olympic Stadium has risen from the ground and changed the skyline of east London.

'The start of the seat installation clearly demonstrates the strong progress we have made in creating the venue that will be at the heart of the action in 2012. With the finishing line in sight, we remain on track to complete construction of the Stadium next summer.'

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: 'Already five years to the day since he announced that London had won the bid, it is fantastic that Jacques Rogge is here to install the 2012th seat. It is a symbolic moment and proof of our commitment to deliver on our bid promises.'

The seats are being manufactured in Luton and are being delivered to the Olympic Park in batches. The black and white colour scheme and the dynamic pattern will create a look that both compliments the architecture and reflects the incredible energy and endeavour that will emanate from the Olympic Stadium in 2012.

Work has also begun on creating the correct ground conditions for the running track and the turf for the field events. Over the coming months, ducts and a drainage system will be installed and the base layers will be laid in preparation for laying the turf and track next year.

Construction on the Olympic Stadium started in May 2008 and progress to date has included:

* More than 4,500 reinforced concrete columns installed as the foundations
* 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
* Work has begun on the fit-out of the 700 rooms and spaces within the Stadium, including fitting toilets and tiling showers in the changing rooms
* The 450-tonne cable net roof structure has been lifted into place
* 14 lighting towers which sit 60 metres above the field of play have been lifted into place and the fitting of the power cables has started
* The covering of the cable net roof has almost been completed, which will provide the correct conditions for athletes on the field of play and cover two-thirds of spectators.
* Landscaping work has begun including trees planted, a green wall installed and the trial sowing of meadows which will flower in this summer.

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http://www.london2012.com/press/medi...ic-stadium.php

[paprys81]

Originally Posted by PortoNuts

Basketball Arena

wow, they've used exactly the same material and method like on the stadium in Poznan (Euro 2012 arena). Those walls looks pretty nice!

P.S.
When I look on Aquatics Centre, I see how beautiful it is and how well Zaha Hadid did her job, but hey, look on this roof construction; engineers who designed it to stay still and in one piece attached to the concrete just by few little metal parts did much grater and amazing job! I am so impressed and I would seriously bow to them
Great venues guys!

[PortoNuts]

Handball Arena

london2012.com

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[PortoNuts]

Basketball Arena nets spot in London 2012 skyline while Handball Arena hits milestone

02 Jul 2010
london2102.com

Two sports venues have hit respective milestones as progress continues on delivering the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The 12,000-seat Basketball Arena – one of the largest temporary venues ever built for an Olympic and Paralympic Games – has had its external cladding completed.

Elsewhere in the 500-acre Olympic Park, the main structure is now in place for the 7,000-seat Handball Arena.

The Basketball Arena, which is longer than a football pitch at 114m, 98m wide and as tall as the Tate Modern at 35m, is moving towards completion next spring, while the Handball Arena has a summer 2011 finish date.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'The Basketball Arena and Handball Arena are two very different structures – one large and temporary; the other compact and permanent. Their contrasting designs and the progress we have made on their construction reflect the first-class abilities of the construction teams working on the site.

'Both also highlight our approach to legacy - only building permanent structures which can serve communities post-2012. The temporary Basketball Arena will be taken down and used again elsewhere while the Handball Arena is a permanent useable space which can accommodate an array of activities both during and after the Games.'

London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Seb Coe said: 'It is very exciting to see the Basketball Arena taking shape so quickly. The Arena will be a superb venue which will host some fantastic sport at both the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Basketball is one of the most popular Olympic sports and fans will be watching in a spectacular setting.

'Likewise, the Handball Arena will provide athletes with a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility at Games-time and the local London community with a much needed flexible indoor sports arena after the Games. Handball is a very popular sport, particularly strong in Europe. London 2012 will provide an enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable audience with the chance to witness great sport in a great venue.'

The 1,000-tonne superstructure for the Basketball Arena is now wrapped in 20,000sq m of recyclable white PVC membrane, providing an early view of what the venue will look like when finished. During the Games the fabric, which is stretched over three different variations of arched panels, will act as a canvas for an artistic and innovative external lighting design.

It will stage the Basketball preliminaries and quarter-finals, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby and the Handball men’s quarter-finals, all semi-finals and medal matches.

After the Games, the venue will be dismantled by the owning construction contractor and elements potentially used at other UK and overseas events. A number of enquiries have already been received regarding future use of parts of the arena.

The Handball Arena’s main structure, also weighing 1,000 tonnes, will now start to be clad in 3,000sq m of copper with a high recycled content to give a rich natural colour as it ages.

It will feature 700 sq m of glazing that will encircle the building at concourse level, also serving to illuminate the venue at night.

Foundations for the building concluded in December last year, after which 30 concrete walls were lifted into place. The steel frame, fabricated in Bolton, was then constructed.

The venue is one of the most compact sporting venues on the park. Retractable seating will help create a 2,743sq m field of play space. To reduce the need for electricity, 88 light pipes in the ceiling will allow natural daylight into the venue, while rainwater harvesting from the roof for toilet flushing will help to reduce water use by an estimated 40 per cent.

During the Games the Handball Arena will host men’s and women’s preliminary stages and the women’s quarter-finals for the Handball competition, as well as the Fencing Discipline of the Modern Pentathlon, and Goalball during the Paralympic Games.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) is responsible for the development, planning, management and maintenance of the Olympic Park site after the Games, including the Multi Use Arena (Handball Arena during Games-time). With 6,000 spectator capacity, which can be extended to 7,500 seats, OPLC could also offer the venue for cultural, entertainment and business events.

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http://www.london2012.com/press/medi...rena-hits-.php

[PortoNuts]

Olympic Stadium

by Davodavo.

[PrevaricationComplex]

anyone know where the warm up track is gonna be, and what its fate is post games [last i remember from some document i read is that it'll be 'returned' to some company]. i ask because any athletics event needs one. if future diamond league and world champ events are to be held in london as an olympic legacy you'd think the fate of the warm up track wouldnt be conditional on other things??

[PortoNuts]

Aquatics Centre

london2012.com

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[RobH]

Sorry about the size of this, but I really thought it worth posting here. Aerial view across whole Park:

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[PortoNuts]

Fantastic view there

[Marathaman]

It's going to look spectacular once the landscaping is finished.

[PortoNuts]

Olympic Village

london2012.com

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