The 2012 Olympic stadium represented the centre piece of the London games, as well as being the first Olympic stadium of its kind.
In the past stadiums of previous Olympics have been criticised for being underused after the event. To counteract this, the 2012 will be demountable with the seating and stands being reused at sports venues across the UK.
The £450M demountable stadium concept was developed in response to an International Olympic Committee (IOC) commissioned report that recommended Olympic venues leave a better legacy for future use. The result is a stadium that can be converted in an economic way.
The 80,000 seat arena was designed with athletes in mind. This means although it contains vast open space it isn’t a wind tunnel and that it creates the feeling of an enclosed space so that it can retain the unique noise and atmosphere created by an Olympic audience. The stadium was designed to look like an organic structure that rises out of the ground, crowned by a spectacular array of roof sections that suggest the rippling muscles of an athlete.
Engineering the 2012 Olympics
ICE, working with the Olympic Delivery Authority, has created 'Engineering the Olympic Park' as part of its commitment to the 2012 Learning Legacy, which seeks to capture the lessons learned from the construction of the London Olympic park. Watch interviews with key ICE members, including Chair of the ODA, John Armitt, discuss the difficulties that engineers overcame in delivering the London Olympic site on time and on budget.