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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 worldand an eye-popping360 degree view of the actionfor 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.
Velodrome fact file:
Velodrome facilities:
- 250m UCI (International Cycling Union) approved indoor track and 100m warm up circuit
- 6,000 seats and 360 degree Public Concourse in legacy for viewing all cycling activities
- Legacy café, changing rooms, cycle workshop, & storage for over 300 bikes
- Legacy bike hire outlet for families to hire bikes to use the new cycling facilities
- Venue will be linked into cycle routes across London, linking the new venue with the whole of the capital
Velodrome design:
- Distinct Velodrome roof designed to reflect the geometry of the cycling track
- The 6,000 seats are split into a lower and upper tier, allowing a 360 degrees concourse level in between with a continuous ribbon of full height windows
- The 360 degree glazed concourse level in legacy will offer spectators inside the Velodrome views out onto the rest of the Olympic Park and across the London skyline, while allowing people outside of the Velodrome views into the venue and down onto the cycling track
Construction:
- Some 48,000 cubic metres of material was excavated to create the bowl for the Velodrome, enough to fill 19 Olympic-sized swimming pools
- More than 900 piles were driven up to 26 metres beneath the ground to complete the foundations of the venue
- More than 2,500 sections of steelwork were installed to complete the steel structure of the Velodrome
- The cable-net roof is 5,000m2 in size and uses 16km of cabling
Sustainability elements:
- The building has been designed to be lightweight and efficient to reflect the efficient design of a bicycle
- Useof abundant daylight through strategically positioned rooflights reduces need for artificial lighting and allows natural ventilation
- Water saving fittings built into design to allow collection of rainwater for reuse in building, helping reduce water consumption
- Lightweight cable-net roof structure weighs 30kg/m2 compared to 65kg/m2 for the Beijing Velodrome, helping create a highly efficient building |