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Sports: Athletics, Paralympic Athletics Capacity: 80 000 seats (55 000 of which can be removed) Height: 60 metres Permanent structure with temporary extra seating
The Olympic Stadium is located on a 40-acre island surrounded by waterways on three sides and will have a capacity of 80 000 during the Games. Most of these seats can be removed after the Games are over thanks to the specially designed lightweight upper tier.
More than 30 buildings were demolished to make way for the construction of the venue and 6 500 cubic metres of crushed concrete – recycled from other parts of the Olympic Park – was spread on top of the ground to create a solid platform for the construction of the Stadium’s foundations.
Only 10 000 tonnes of steel were used to build the venue, making it one of the lightest and most sustainable Olympic Stadiums ever built. It took six weeks to lift the 450 tonne roof structure into place.
Sports: Diving, Swimming, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo, Paralympic Swimming, Modern Pentathlon Capacity: 17 500 seats Height: 44.3 metres (after the Games 32.8 metres) Permanent structure with temporary additional seating
The Aquatics Centre will be the ‘gateway’ to the Games, with more than two thirds of spectators expected to enter the Olympic Park over a vast bridge that runs over the top of part of the venue.
The venue features a spectacular 3 000 tonne wave-like roof that is 160 metres long and up to 80 metres wide.
Thanks to its unique design, the roof sits on three concrete supports – two northern supports and a southern wall.
Sustainability was a top concern for the engineers involved in the venue’s construction: 100% of the roof covering is recycled aluminium.
After the games, the Aquatics Centre will be transformed into a facility for the local community as well as elite swimmers. The two temporary wings will be removed, leaving 2 500 seats – although it will be possible to increase the capacity to 3 500 for major competitions.
Sports: Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Handball Capacity: 12 000 Height: 35 metres Temporary structure
At 35 metres in height and about two football pitches in area, the Basketball Arena is the fourth-largest venue on the Park.
A venue of this size will not be needed in east London once the Games are over, so the structure is designed to be easily taken down after 2012, for reuse or relocation elsewhere. It is the largest-ever temporary venue to be built for any Olympic or Paralympic Games.
The Arena is made up of 20, ten-storey steel arches and the 115 metre long, 1 000 tonne steel frame is wrapped in 20 000 m2 of white waterproof fabric.
The different parts that make up the Arena can be sold and put to use individually after the Games or used as a whole elsewhere.
Sport: Track Cycling, Paralympic Track Cycling Capacity: 6 000 Height: 35 metres Permanent structure
The Velodrome’s double curved roof is designed to reflect the geometry of the cycling track inside. The 6 000 seats are split into a lower and upper tier, with seating all the way around the track. A glass wall separates the two tiers, giving spectators a 360-degree view across the Olympic Park and allowing people outside the venue to see the sporting action taking place inside.
The Velodrome sits on top of a 100-year-old landfill site, which meant the foundations of the building had to be specially designed to provide stability, despite the variety of materials under the building. This was achieved by driving more than 900 piles up to 26 metres into the ground – much deeper than usual for a structure of this size.
Some 48 000 m3 of material was excavated to create the bowl for the Velodrome, enough to fill 19 50m swimming pools. The roof comprises 16 km of cabling and covers an area of 12 000 m2. The lifting of the cable-net roof took eight weeks to complete.
The lightweight building has been designed to reflect the efficient design of a bicycle. Daylight and natural ventilation lessen the need for artificial lighting and water consumption is reduced through fittings that allow the collection of rainwater for reuse in the building.
*Images provided courtesy of the Olympic Delivery Authority