On 9/01/2015 I went to visit Olympic stadium to my friend, Civil Engineer working on regeneration project ‘Balfour Beatty’ Martin Silickis. He escorted me through the site and showed the latest addons to the building, such as recreating larger roof structure using PVC fabric and stressed cable system and exterior entrances by expanding the entrance, creating foundation with large lift shafts and stairs for crowd guidance

Olympics 2012 Transformation 2014 Legacy 2030

To ensure the longevity of the stadium a premium was placed on sustainability and legacy. The stadium had to be flexible enough to convert into a smaller venue post-Games whilst also acting as a focal point of the Olympic Park and for the regeneration of Stratford, East London.

This brief outlined a stadium that could be reduced from 80,000 seats to 25,000 seats after 2012, a scale of post-games conversion never before attempted and one that offered significant design and construction challenges.

Following the design development phase the final design included:

A permanent 25,000-seat sunken bowl.

A 55,000-seat tier of demountable terracing.

A tensile fabric wrap skin to enclose the venue.

A structurally independent compression truss, which supported a cable net roof, lighting towers and ceremonies tripods.

The roof structure was independent of the main stadium bowl structure and consisted of a cable net roof design formulated in the shape of a tensioned ring similar in form to a bicycle wheel. The central node (hub of the wheel) is expanded to create a 600m circumference inner tension ring. This was attached to the top and bottom chords of a compression truss (the outer rim of the wheel) by 28 sets of main suspension cables (the spokes). Pre-stressing the two elements of the structure against each other holds the roof 40m above the field of play.

The compression truss, which is structurally independent of the rest the bowl steelwork, supports the roof and, uniquely for a stadium of its kind, the 14 huge lighting towers which sit on top of the inner tension ring.

A tensile fabric, which consisted of post-tensioned woven yarn and a PVC coating was attached to the cable net to form the roof.

The tensile fabric was a Ferrari membrane which was cut and high frequency welded together to form 112 panels. The roof was two-way symmetrical, resulting in 28 different pattern designs

the PVC-coated polyester fabric external wrap, the oversized bunting, an essential component ofPopulous’ medieval fête-like concept, is currently being tendered by LOCOG.With 10,000 tonnes of steel, it’s the lightest ever Olympic stadium

The main construction materials are steel reinforced concrete and steel pipes. The concrete with steel is used literally almost everywhere in this building.

The load from roof structure is dispensed via structural columns that lead into the ground to the pile foundation. The building is designed using structural engineering for more efficient and spatial qualities. The stadium is the lightest of its kind and provides sustainable solution policy in achieving it.

Environmental factors: there are no clear evidence of CO2 emissions but the fact that 90% of soil has been recycled and reused gives an enormous saving of pollution. By clearing thunderdeveloped site there was an interruption in wildlife thus causing certain species to leave, but recreating the wildlife for the games, certain species has ben brought in siteFormal factors: the building is constructed based on engineering decisions and of the use of most efficient amount of material, thus the building has nice formal and spatial qualities

Ron Labinski co-founded Populous (formerly HOK Sport) in 1983 as the world’s first architecture firm focused solely on sport venue design. In more than 27 years, the firm has grown to one of the world’s largest and most prestigious architecture firms, having amassed more than 1,000 projects worth $20 billion in construction value.Populous formerly operated as HOK Sport Venue Event, which was part of the HOK Group. In January 2009, Populous was created through a management buyout, becoming independently owned and operated. It is reported to be one of the largest architecture firms in the world

Offices:Headquarters of Populous, in Kansas City, MO, USA.Kansas City, Missouri, USALondon, England, UKBoston, Massachusetts, USABrisbane, Queensland, AustraliaSan Francisco, California, USADenver, Colorado, USAKnoxville, Tennessee, USARio de Janeiro, BrazilAuckland, New ZealandNew Delhi, IndiaBhubaneswar, IndiaHong Kong, China

Start on site :May 2008Completion: March 2011Total floor area of stadium: in Games mode 108,500m² (46,830m² internal accommodation)Form of contract: NEC 3, Integrated Design and Construct TeamFull project cost: £496 millionFull project cost per m²: £4,571Client :The Olympic Delivery AuthorityArchitect: Populous

Founder: Ron Labinski

One of the finest cricket grounds in the worldKia OvalLondon, UK 2005The singular sweep of its lightweight polycarbonate and steel roof, demountable seating allows different configurations depending on the sight-board locations

A catalyst for positive changeEtihad StadiumMelbourne2000imited space meant that 2,500 car parks had to be built underneath the stadium, and the connection of a sophisticated public transport system was able to link the stadium to a wide range of shops, restaurants and hotels. The 53,000 stadium boasts the first retractable roof and moving tier technology in a large stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, combined with a natural turf playing surface. The moving tier technology means multi-functionality, intimacy and flexibility for both sport and entertainment, maximizing the experiences of all spectators, no matter what the event.

Europe's most successful Football StadiumEmirates StadiumLondon2006A site was identified, close to the existing stadium – the challenge was to create a master plan which could fit the new stadium on this difficult site, deliver the maximum area for residential development and meet the local council’s requirements for the provision of social housing.The curved glass, concrete and steel mesh paneled facades of the stadium rise

between the terraced streets, offering a series of dramatic views of the venue to the approaching visitor. Above, the roof is supported on just eight cores, allowing the slender roof plane to float above the robust facade of the building below. Success in building the stadium increased the revenue by 3 times for Arsenal FC and UEFA defined it as the success model for other clubs to follow

A new National Stadium for the national gameWembley StadiumLondon, UK2007The arch supports the 7,000 tonne steel roof structure, eliminating the need for pillars.

Utilising parametric design for site-responsive solutionAviva StadiumDublin, Ireland2010

Raising the profile of Natal through FIFA World CupArena das DunasNatal, Brazil2014

Opening a new frontier for major events in RussiaSochi 2014 Winter Olympic & Paralympic GamesSochi2014

Populous is a global architectural firm specializing in the design of sports facilities and convention centers, as well as planning of major special events.Populous is highly attractive architectural firm for stadias and mega events with amazing past success events and projects. Their demand in global range is still increasing.

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The Olympic stadium is constructed on the island with canals surrounding it. This gives controlled secure access in the building via bridges around the island. The Olympic stadium is the key building in the landscape and all the paths lead to it. In relation to Canary wharf it sits on axis.

Architect: Populous

Structural engineer: Buro Happold

M&E consultant: Buro Happold

Quantity surveyors: Arcadis and CLM

Landscape architect: Hyland Edgar

Acoustics consultant: Vanguardia

Crowd circulation consultant: Steer Davies Gleave

Project manager: CLM

Main contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine

CDM co-ordinator: Buro Happold

Approved building inspector: JLAB

June 2005 – London is awarded the Olympic Games for 2012July 2007 – Land preparation begins for the stadiumNovember 2007 – Stadium design is unveiled. Organising Committee promises a "unique 80,000 seat stadium, it will be the centrepiece for the 2012 Games, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics events, converting down to a 25,000 seat permanent stadium after the Games, when it will become a new home for athletics, combined with other sporting, community and educational uses."May 2008 – Construction work on the stadium begins.July 2010 – Rumours emerge that Tottenham are considering a move to Stratford and the Olympic Stadium site.August 2010 – Bidding process for stadium use post-Olympics opens.November 2010 – It is announced that two bids have been shortlisted for the Stadium after the Games – Tottenham and West Ham's. Tottenham plan to maintain a 80,000 capacity but tear down the existing stadium to build a venue purpose-built for football. West Ham would reduce capacity to 60,000 but keep the athletics track as part of a mixed-use community-centric stadium. Tottenham's fans protest against the proposed move away from N17 during a game against Liverpool.December 2010 – Tottenham propose a redevelopment of the decrepit Crystal Palace National Sports Centre to compensate for not using the Olympic site for athletics after 2012.January 2011 – Sebastian Coe and former Olympics minister Tessa Jowell back West Ham's bid for the site, as it fulfils the original legacy promises made when London won the Games. The Olympic Park Legacy Company ask West Ham and Tottenham for more information about their plans for the stadium.February 2011 – Tim Leiweke, the president of Tottenham's bid partners Anschutz Entertainment Group, says the stadium would go broke within 10 years if an athletics track was retained in a facility primarily used for football. West Ham vice-chairman KarrenBrady calls Spurs' plans to demolish the stadium a "corporate crime".February 11 2011 – West Ham United selected as the preferred club to move into the Olympic Stadium in east London after the London Olympics.June 2011 – Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient's bids for judicial reviews into the decision making process which led to West Ham being awarded the stadium are rejected.June 29 2011 – Spurs launch a fresh High Court bid.September 20 2011 – Mayor of London Boris Johnon urges Tottenham to commit to building a new stadium in north London. threatening to withdraw an offer of £17 million of public support to their new stadium development.October 3 2011 – Athletics track at the Olympic Stadium completed.October 11 2011 – Olympic Stadium deal with West Ham and Newham Council collapses.

Brief- The aim of the team was to design the most sustainable Olympic stadium to date and reduce the amount of steel and concrete needed, making it one of the lightest stadia of the modern era.

Challenges- The challenge in building a stadium for a specific event lies in creating a structure that is both temporary and permanent. This is the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium. The 80,000 seat venue was designed to be transformed post-Games to a 25,000 seat venue.

Design Challenge- To achieve a balance between the immediate needs of a large Games stadium against a long-term, small-scale venue, we embraced the opportunity to develop the architectural language of venue design. We progressed a new theory of ‘embracing the temporary’, exploring form, materials, structure and operational systems to bring a structured palette of elements into a cohesive design. This promotes possibilities of transformation after the Games down to a minimum 25,000 seat venue form.

Success- The London 2012 Olympic Stadium sets a new benchmark in sustainable design for sports stadia and changes the face of stadium architecture. It’s a new approach to how we think of sustainability, which reflects the city’s compelling commitment to legacy. The key sustainability criteria of ‘reduce, re-use and recycle’ were adopted to create a compact, flexible and lightweight design. The main stadium structure is light and elegant and uses only ten per cent of the steel weight used for the Beijing stadium. The fabric roof is based on the engineering principles of a bicycle wheel and was redesigned to enable the use of ‘found’ steel, while the facade of the building is composed of a lightweight fabric ‘wrap’, which twists at the base to allow entry to the seating bowl.