Olympics Desk

- Huge engineering challenge completed as ODA marks 4th anniversary

  New footage and images released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today show the huge roof of the London 2012 Velodrome lifted into place, as the venue was visited by British cyclist Ed Clancy, who became the new World Champion in the Omnium event at the Track Cycling

World Championships at the weekend.
The completion of the Velodrome roof comes as the ODA marks its 4th anniversary and announces it is on track to meet its latest set of construction milestones.

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 distinctive double-curved roof of the Velodrome has now been lifted into place in one of the biggest cable-net roof lifts in the UK, keeping the venue on track for completion in early 2011 to make it the first Olympic Park venue to be finished. The Velodrome site was visited today by British cyclist Ed Clancy who became the new World Champion at the Track Cycling World Championships this weekend in the Omnium event and won Gold at the 2008 Beijing Games as part of the record-breaking team pursuit team.

Ed Clancy said: “Becoming World Champion was an amazing experience and a reminder of the excitement of racing at a major championship so it was great to see the Olympic Park Velodrome where I hope to compete on home soil in 2012. The Velodrome is already shaping up to be a fantastic venue and I can’t wait to come back here to help Team GB continue our Gold rush in 2012.”

The ODA also announced today that it is on track to meet its latest set of construction milestones across the project. A new document was released today outlining the progress the ODA is making on the ten milestones set last summer – the document can be viewed at www.london2012.com

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: “Lifting the huge roof of the Velodrome into place crowns this spectacular venue that will deliver first-class cycling facilities for the Games and a new generation of cyclists. The completion of this huge engineering challenge on the Velodrome follows the good progress we are making across the Olympic Park and as the project continues in our toughest year we are on track to meet our latest milestones.”

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: “Seeing the Velodrome take shape is a great example of how hosting the Games will deliver a lasting legacy of new sports facilities for elite and community use. The Velodrome will be a stunning stage for cycling events during the Games and I look forward to seeing the British team take to the track in 2012 to continue their success.”

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Londoners can be proud that the Velodrome roof is now in place and I look forward to seeing the triumphs of the British team at the recent Track Cycling World Championships emulated there in 2012. The ODA continues to deliver the project both on time and on budget, and this shows the capital’s capacity to respond well to the challenges of the current economic climate. We won’t rest on our laurels though, and so we will continue to work hard with all the delivery partners to ensure that we achieve the best value possible across the whole London 2012 programme.”

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority which will own, fund and manage the Velodrome in legacy, said: “The Velodrome is rapidly becoming one of the stars of Olympic Park and while this stunning venue takes shape we’re planning out a legacy programme which will excite the region and the country. We’re using our award-winning Lee Valley Athletics Centre as the blueprint and will replicate its perfect mix of elite, school, community and regional use at the VeloPark. After the Games we’ll be welcoming school children to local clubs to elite cyclists at the Velodrome – the centrepiece of the VeloPark.”

Construction work started on the Velodrome in March 2009 and the lifting of the cable-net roof took 8 weeks to complete. The roof features some 16 kilometres of cabling and covers an area of 5,000m2. 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.

The cable-net roof is joined to the steel structure of the Velodrome which rises in height by 12 metres from the shallowest point to the highest part of the structure, helping form the distinct double-curved shape which has been designed to reflect the geometry of the cycling track.  

With the Velodrome roof in place, work will begin shortly to cover the roof and install the outer timber cladding of the venue. The Velodrome structure is due to be watertight by the summer, allowing work to install the timber cycling track to begin in the Autumn. The venue is due to be completed in early 2011.

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, funded 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).

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, Gym, & 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

-          The Velodrome designers are working closely with track designers to tailor the track geometry and set the temperature and environmental conditions within the venue with the aim of creating a record-breaking track

-          The venue is being designed to create the best possible crowd atmosphere in the 6,000 capacity venue to help maximise the performance of cyclists and aim to give Team GB a home advantage in 2012

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

-          Use of 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