The concrete structure enabling journalists from around the world to provide round-the-clock news coverage during the Olympic and Paralympic Games is complete.
New pictures show how the 29,000sq m Main Press Centre (MPC), which will cater for 5,600 journalists, is moving steadily towards its finish date in summer 2011, with a number of windows already in place on three sides.
It is the first time in an Olympic games that the print facility will be based next to its broadcast counterpart – the 55,000sq m International Broadcast Centre (IBC).
ODA Chairman John Armitt said:
“The Main Press Centre will provide ample space and quality provision for regional, national and international journalists and staff. Work is gathering pace as we enter our busiest construction phase.
“This is the first time press and broadcasters will be based in the same area and marks a significant effort to make the best use of space within the Olympic Park. The buildings are designed to be converted into business facilities after the Games to serve the community for years to come.”
The 2012 main media complex (IBC/MPC) will provide a base for over 20,000 reporters, photographers, broadcasters and support staff across more than 80,000sq m. A catering village will serve an expected 50,000 meals every 24 hours and a 200-metre high street will have a hairdressing salon, post office, general store, bank, ATMs and a bar. There will also be a temporary Main Press Conference room between the IBC and MPC that will cater for up to 700 journalists at a time.
After the Games the facilities will create significant and much-needed business space in Hackney, with the potential to generate new employment opportunities.
The MPC will offer state-of-the-art utilities, power and digital connectivity. It is based over five floors of office space designed to be converted in Legacy mode for either single or multiple tenants.
Designers have ensured the building is able to be easily conveted for Legacy use after the Games. Innovations designed to meet demanding green building standards in legacy include a 2,500sq m ‘brown roof’ of gravel and moss to encourage invertebrates. This matches an aim to collect 60 percent of non-drinking water across the Olympic Park, which can then be reused in a number of ways, such as for flushing toilets.
Facilities available in the MPC during Games time will include:
- Five conference rooms for 1,140 people, 50 broadcast cameras, around 100 photographers and nine translation booths.
- A photographers’ workroom with space for approximately 300 photographers.
- A press workroom with around 800 workstations.
- More than 150 private office spaces (for up to 100 staff) for agencies and newspaper organisations from around the world to rent.
- A dedicated internet café, TV room, results distribution centre, help desks and support functions.
A firm from Host Borough Greenwich constructed the MPC foundations, while the concrete frame was constructed by a company based in Teddington, Surrey. Another Surrey business won the contract for the external cladding, which has now started to be installed.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said:
“'These images demonstrate the progress we are making in delivering the best facilities for the 20,000 members of the world’s broadcasters, press and photographers in the summer of 2012.
“Billions of people around the world rely on the international media to relay the stories of human endeavour on the field of play and capture the atmosphere of the Games. The impressive plans for the IBC/MPC will help us tell these stories while leaving high performance workspace after the Games for the east of London.”
Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, which is responsible for the long term development planning, management and maintenance of the Olympic Park Site after the Games, said:
“The Main Press Centre will become an important business and employment site after the Games. The building has been designed with flexibility in mind and can be split into different configurations depending on the requirements of market demand.”
Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney, said:
“The International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre will provide permanent employment space after the Games, bringing a vital economic legacy to Hackney and East London. This will allow the digital, creative and media industries the space they need to expand, while creating high quality jobs - these industries are long established in Hackney and we would like to see them given this important opportunity. We are working closely with our Olympic partners and the industry to secure this legacy on behalf of Hackney’s residents."
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