Delivering London 2012: the Olympic Stadium

Abstract

The UK Olympic Stadium, which will host athletic events and the opening and closing ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is designed to be converted to a home for British athletics. An innovative use of permanent and temporary forms was developed to meet the 80 000 games capacity and 25 000 legacy capacity, with the final structuring consisting of a permanent sunken concrete bowl and a removable upper seating tier. To save space and drive efficiencies, the majority of spectator facilities were moved outside the structure and the upper seating tier rakes outwards, resulting in the lightest stadium of its size in the world. The rapid delivery of the stadium in just 34 months was achieved through a strategy of prefabrication of concrete and steel elements and just-in-time delivery, supported by a strong collaborative team-working ethic.