LONDON | 2012 Olympics Park Development News

[PortoNuts]

The renders.

[PortoNuts]

Olympic Workforce Tops 12,000

The workforce on the Olympic Park and Athletes’ Village has reached 12,635 as the ‘big build’ nears completion.

As well as the economic legacy that is being created for people and companies working on the Park and Village, thousands more people across the UK are gaining employment and training helping to deliver the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games.

Twenty-five per cent of the current workforce live in the five Host Boroughs – the London boroughs nearest the Olympic Park (Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Greenwich) and more than 60 pre cent live in London.

Olympic Delivery Authority Chief Executive Dennis Hone said: "The Olympic Park and Village is being delivered on track and within budget by a dedicated and hard working team in London supported by thousands more people working for sub-contractors and suppliers up and down the country.

"The site and supplier workforce have done us proud, completing construction on the Olympic Stadium and Velodrome and being on track to finish all the main venues and infrastructure this summer ready for Test Events ahead of the Games.

"Alongside the immediate economic legacy of providing work, contracts and a showcase for the work of UK plc, the ‘big build’ has supported long-term career development for people living close to the Olympic Park, previously unemployed people and apprentices."

Programmes set up to maximise the ‘big build’ employment legacy have helped more than 1,400 previously unemployed local people gain work on the Park, delivered more than 3,400 places training people for work on the Park and other construction sites and enabled 426 apprentices to work on the project.

http://www.build.co.uk/construction_...?newsid=125927

[PortoNuts]

Stratford Residential Towers

by wawd.

image hosted on flickr

P1120749 by wawd, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

P1120751 by wawd, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

P1120752 by wawd, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

P1120753 by wawd, on Flickr

[PortoNuts]

London 2012 Olympic venues to stage test events this summer

Spectators will get their first taste of sport in the new 2012 Olympic venues this summer at test events including beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade and basketball in the Olympic Park, London organisers have revealed.

A comprehensive 12-month testing programme will cover 42 events across 26 venues and involving 8,000 athletes from more than 50 countries. Not all of the events will be open to the public, depending on the emphasis of the tests. A total of 150,000 tickets costing between £5 and £35 will be on sale across several events, though others such as the London–Surrey Cycle Classic to test the road race route will be free.

Tickets for the equestrian test events at Greenwich Park will be given away to local residents. Altogether, a total of 250,000 spectators are expected to see events in the so-called "London Prepares Series".

"This is a dress rehearsal for us but the public, of course, will see the rehearsal not the dress. It will look and feel quite different," London 2012's chief executive, Paul Deighton, said. "We don't expect to get everything absolutely right. If we did I wouldn't be happy because we wouldn't be stress-testing things properly. We will learn from our mistakes and make changes."

The series takes in events organised and ticketed by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog), such as the mountain biking at Hadleigh Farm for which there will be 5,000 tickets available in July, and others, such as the Badminton World Championships at Wembley Arena in August, that it will not organise but will help to staff and operate.

The test events are grouped into three "clusters". The first, in July and August this year, predominantly take place at venues away from the Park. The exceptions are the BMX and basketball events on the Olympic Park, for which spectators will be bussed in to what will still be a construction site.

Locog will build reduced versions of the temporary grandstands that will be used for the Games at the showjumping arena in Greenwich Park and the beach volleyball venue at Horse Guards Parade.

The second cluster of events, from November to January next year, will include events at the aquatics centre and the velodrome, while the third cluster in April and May 2012 will test the rest of the Olympic Park venues including the athletics stadium.

Deighton said the events would be used to test technology, security, ticketing, crowd flows and logistical considerations surrounding the individual sports themselves. Modern pentathlon, for example, has recently switched to laser shooting in place of the traditional air rifles and will need to be rigorously tested in situ at Greenwich Park.

Deighton and Locog's head of sport, Debbie Jevans, said lessons had been learned about the staging of events from Beijing and about city-wide logistics from the Vancouver Winter Games. In Vancouver in 2010, organisers came under fire for the Own the Podium programme that attempted to maximise home advantage by restricting access to rival teams.

Asked whether London organisers risked going the other way by inviting top-class athletes to compete in Games-time conditions at new 2012 venues, Jevans said: "We have worked closely with the BOA but also with international federations to allow them access. We have to be open but we also have to get ready to deliver these Games."

Deighton also confirmed that those who did not get all the tickets they applied for in the first phase of applications, which closed on 26 April, would be offered the chance to buy other tickets in July. Those who didn't apply in the first phase won't be able to do so until late this year.Tickets for the test events will be sold through Ticketmaster from 26 May.


The four ticketed London 2012 test events this summer are

Mountain bike 31 July, Hadleigh Farm, Essex

Beach volleyball 9-14 August, Horse Guards Parade

Basketball 16-21 August, Basketball Arena, Olympic Park

BMX 19-20 August, BMX Track, Olympic Park

Other London 2012 venue ticketed events include

Gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic and trampoline) 10-18 January 2012, North Greenwich Arena

Cycling (track) 17-19 February 2012, Velodrome, Olympic Park

Aquatics (diving) 20-26 February 2012, Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park

Aquatics (synchronised swimming) 18-22 April 2012, Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park

Hockey 2-6 May 2012, Hockey Centre, Olympic Park

Wheelchair tennis 2-6 May 2012, Eton Manor, Olympic Park

Water polo 3-6 May 2012, Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park

Athletics 4-7 May 2012, Olympic Stadium

Paralympic athletics 8 May 2012, Olympic Stadium

Ticketing arrangements for these events will be announced later this year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011...es-test-events

[PortoNuts]

Time-lapse movie of construction of London 2012 Media Center

[PortoNuts]

With a report video.

London Olympic neighbourhood names suggested

Hundreds of ideas have been put forward in a competition to name five new neighbourhoods being built on the Olympic Park after the 2012 Games.

Plastic Fantastic, Dog and Bike, Little Athens and Redgravia are among the suggestions organisers have received from the public so far.

The new neighbourhoods will have up to 8,000 new homes in total, along with schools, nurseries and health centres.

The deadline to send in suggestions is 18 May.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13336194

[PortoNuts]

They are mainly being built in Stratford High Street, right along the Olympic Park.

[PortoNuts]

International Broadcast Centre/ Main Press Centre

The International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre (IBC/ MPC) will be a 24-hour media hub for around 20,000 broadcasters, photographers and journalists – bringing the Games to an estimated four billion people worldwide.

The IBC is located in the Main Media Complex in the north-west corner of the Olympic Park, alongside the Main Press Centre (MPC) which will provide extra facilities for journalists covering the Games.

It has been designed to be as flexible as possible to accommodate a range of potential tenants and uses after the Games. During the Games the IBC will include a 12,000 sq m catering village serving 50,000 meals per day. There will also be a 200m-long High Street between the MPC and IBC featuring outlets such as banks, newsagents, travel agents and a post office. The MPC includes 29,000sq m of ‘green’ office space with four storeys of workspace for journalists and photographers during the Games. It has an innovative design that enables the building to be adapted after the Games for either a single tenant in the whole building or on each floor, as well as multiple tenants on each floor. The MPC includes state-of-the-art utilities, power and digital connectivity during and after the Games

A Media Transport Mall providing a coach drop-off, car parking, accreditation and security screening during the Games alongside the IBC will provide car parking spaces to tenants after 2012, alongside walking, cycling and public transport connections.

After the Games, the facilities will create more than 80,000sq m of business space with the potential to generate thousands of new jobs. The Olympic Park Legacy Company is currently seeking expressions of interest from potential tenants for the IBC. The Legacy Company launched this market testing process to explore opportunities for the Press Centre and Broadcast Centre after the 2012 Games. The buildings and the surrounding site are highly flexible, offering the potential for a range of uses in legacy.

Interested parties had until 26 November 2010 to submit their proposals to the Legacy Company, which is now reviewing the Expressions of Interest received.

http://www.stratfordlondon.info/deve...n-press-centre

[wawd]

stadium lights are on tonight:
image hosted on flickr

The Orbit Construction May 2011 by wawd, on Flick

[LondonLoves]

Looking at the olympic village, they really need to pull the finger out, only got a year left.

[Jeanbonnau]

I like London but it smells too much money.

[Mr_Andersonn]

Have they turned off the webcams on and inside the olympic stadium?

Any news of info on the fit out of the facilities within the stadium?

[msl1]

Originally Posted by Jeanbonnau

I like London but it smells too much money.

Huh?

[webeagle12]

Originally Posted by Jeanbonnau

I like London but it smells too much money.

u mad bro?

[arnau_Vic]

Originally Posted by Jeanbonnau

I like London but it smells too much money.

french style

[PortoNuts]

London 2012 Handball Arena third venue on Olympic Park to be completed on time and on budget

-- Link to London2012.com article --









The London 2012 Handball Arena became the third venue on the Olympic Park to be structurally completed, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced today. The construction milestone was marked by a visit to the venue by Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as they announced new measures to support youth employment, inspecting work carried out by apprentices on the Olympic Park.

Construction started on the 6,500-capacity arena in July 2009. The venue includes unique copper cladding, natural lighting shafts and multicoloured seating, of which the lower tier is retractable.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: 'That this great venue has been completed on time and within budget is testament to the hard work, expertise and skills of the Olympic Park workforce. We are on track to stage a fantastic Olympic and Paralympic Games in London next summer.'

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'The Handball Arena milestone is another example of just how far we have come since construction started on the Olympic Park three years ago. The arena is compact, sustainably built and will provide an excellent sports and community venue for London long after the Games are over.'

London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Seb Coe, said: 'With its vibrant, multi-coloured interior and field of play surrounded by spectator seating close to the action, the Handball Arena will be an exciting venue for Handball and Modern Pentathlon during the Olympic Games and the Goalball competition during the Paralympic Games. It is wonderful to have another permanent sport facility located in the Park which will provide an opportunity for all of these sports to continue to develop in legacy. With the venue completed well in advance of Games-time, we can stage Handball and Goalball Test Events later this year under similar conditions to Games-time to ensure we get our planning just right.'

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, which will manage the venue after the Games, said: 'The Legacy Company will develop the Handball Arena as a multi-use centre for community use after the Games, offering a wide range of sporting and cultural uses for people of all ages and abilities. With its sustainable and compact design, it will be a much-loved and vital venue within the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.'

Events to be staged at the venue include the men’s and women’s preliminary stages and the women’s quarter-finals for the Handball competition, the Fencing discipline of the Modern Pentathlon, and Goalball during the Paralympic Games.

The venue was designed and built with sustainability as a priority; the copper cladding has a high recycled content, while the field of play can be naturally lit through 88 rooftop sun-pipes, achieving annual energy savings of up to 40 per cent and greater illumination than similar sized conventional lights. During television broadcasting or poor weather, the system can be switched off to allow for electrical lighting to be used.

Water usage at the venue is also saved by 40 per cent through a rain harvesting system that feeds into toilets and other non-potable systems.

After the Games, capacity at the arena will be increased to accommodate up to 7,500 spectators as it becomes a multi-use venue for community use, athletic training and events. The retractable tier of lower seating will enable a variety of activities to take place inside, ranging from international competition to community sports such as basketball, handball, badminton, boxing, martial arts, netball, table tennis and volleyball. A health and fitness club with changing facilities and a cafe for use by the local community are also planned.

• The Handball Arena was built by Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd, based in Stowe, Bucks.
• Areas used for the media and technology during the Games will be converted to provide extra spectator facilities in legacy. The athletes’ changing rooms will be adapted to create more family friendly and accessible changing areas.
• The structure features 30, 10m-high precast concrete walls, sitting on top of 300 tonnes of concrete slab, plus a 1,000 tonne steel frame. Over 1,000 pre-cast concrete planks were used for the concourse, upper concourse and upper tier.
• Interior features 47 internal rooms and 136 toilet cubicles.
• A new permanent piece of public art by internationally renowned artist Monica Convincing will be constructed on the plaza of the Handball Arena Park later this year. The piece will form the word 'RUN'
• Currently 426 apprentices have worked on the project. The ODA, through its ‘Jobs, Skills, Futures’ strategy to boost the Olympic Park jobs and skills legacy, has a commitment to an additional 250 apprenticeships to be created on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village, bringing the total to 350, including through the introduction of a specific requirement to take on apprentices in future contracts. This clause sets a target of three per cent for apprentices in the future workforce of projects currently being procured.

Sports to be staged at the Handball Arena during the Games include:

Handball: Two teams of seven players pass and dribble a small synthetic or leather ball using only their hands. The aim is to score a goal by throwing the ball past the defending goalkeeper. The team with the most goals wins.

Modern Pentathlon: Athletes compete in five different sports. The order of events is Fencing, Swimming, Riding and the combined Running and Shooting event. Points are awarded according to how well the athletes do in each of the events.

Goalball: Played by two teams of three on an indoor volleyball court. The aim is to score goals by rolling the ball into the opposing team’s net. The opposing players attempt to block the ball with their bodies.

[PortoNuts]

Handball Arena makes building work on Olympic Park '83 per cent complete'

As reported by Telegraph Sport on Wednesday, work on the Handball Arena has been completed on time and under budget after it was given the all-clear following operational tests. Mr Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg visited the venue on the one-year anniversary of the Coalition's formation to address an audience of apprentices and business leaders on the issue of youth employment.

Mr Cameron, himself attempting to run an organisation on budget, praised the Olympic Delivery Authority for its ability to complete venues without overspending.

“That this great venue has been completed on time and within budget is testament to the hard work, expertise and skills of the Olympic Park workforce," Mr Cameron said. "We are on track to stage a fantastic Olympic and Paralympic Games in London next summer.” The 6,500-seater venue, which will host handball and modern pentathlon fencing during the Olympics, and Goalball during the Paralympics, was designed by MAKE and cost an estimated £44 million to build.

It will host an Olympic test event – a women's international invitational – between November 23 and 27 but it will not be ticketed, meaning members of the public will not get to visit the inside of the venue until the Games itself.

ODA chairman John Armitt insisted that the delivery of the Handball Arena was another example of the impressive construction achievements being made on the Park. “The Handball Arena milestone is another example of just how far we have come since construction started on the Olympic Park three years ago," he said. "The arena is compact, sustainably built and will provide an excellent sports and community venue for London long after the Games are over.”

The Basketball Arena is well placed to be the next venue completed, ahead of a ticketed test event in August, while the media facilities and Aquatics Centre are also expected to be finished this year. Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said in a written ministerial statement that the Olympic Delivery Authority, in charge of build and infrastructure, had made "strong progress" in completing 83 per cent of the building work.

Funding from the public sector for the Games has remained at £9.28 billion but the estimated costs for the ODA has been cut by £35 million to £7.266 billion following savings, according to the Government Olympic Executive's Quarterly report on preparations for the London 2012 Games.

"We continue to seek value for money and cost savings in our day-to-day running of the project," added Mr Robertson.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...-complete.html

[PortoNuts]

2012 Paralympics organisers say games will be 'an extraordinary hit'

Organisers of the 2012 Olympics have declared the Paralympics will be an "extraordinary hit" after promising not to give away any of the events' 2m tickets, and unveiling a pricing plan that presents half of the tickets, available from September, with a price tag of £10 or less.

The price of the tickets would ensure full stadiums by encouraging groups - particularly children - to attend, the organisers say.

Paul Deighton, chief executive of the organising committee, said: "My feeling is that the paralympic games will be an extraordinary hit. That … people's desire to continue the celebration is enormous and people's desire to support the athletes, with Britain highly competitive, … will get people turning up in a serious way. It will be a great day out."

At previous Paralympic games, many of the tickets have ended up being given away. Ticket prices will start at £10 for adults and £5 for children and over 60s, including a travelcard. Prices for the opening ceremony range from £20.12 to £500. Unlike the Olympic tickets, for which applications closed on April 26, the public will be offered the opportunity to buy day tickets for either the Olympic Park or Excel, offering entry to a range of sports.

Locog, the Olympics organising committee, is hoping to raise between £20m to £30m towards its £500m ticketing target from the Paralympics.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/ma...dicted-sellout

[PortoNuts]

[Andre_idol]

Not a fan of the handball arena seats