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This article or section is about a planned or proposed stadium. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the stadium approaches.

Olympic Stadium
Location	Stratford, London
Built	(Expected completion 2011)
Opened
Owner
Operator	Olympic Delivery Authority
Surface	Track & Field (Grass)
Construction cost	£469M
Architect	HOK Sport
Structural Engineer	Buro Happold
Services Engineer	Buro Happold
Main Contractors	Sir Robert McAlpine
Tenants
London 2012
Capacity
80,000 (25,000 Post Olympics)[citation needed]

The London Olympic Stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The stadium will be located at Marshgate Lane in Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley and will have a capacity for the Games of approximately 80,000. Land preparation for the stadium began in mid-2007, with construction to begin in mid-2008 and completion scheduled for mid-2011.

Contents 1 Design 2 Roof 3 Development Process 4 Post-Olympic legacy 5 Reaction 6 References 7 External links

The stadium will have a distinctive appearance due to its exterior cladding and roof, which will form a large mural of historical Olympic champions, participating countries' flags, and sponsors' logos. The stadium's design will be revolutionary as it will largely be a temporary structure, which will be reduced from 80,000 to 25,000 seats after the games, leaving what organisers hope will be a sustainable "living" community stadium.

According to the most recent reports from the Sunday Times Olympic Stadium with artistic side, the stadium's track-and-field arena will be excavated out of the soft London clay on the site, around which there will be seating for 25,000. A steel structure will be built up from this “bowl” to accommodate a further 55,000 spectators.

Plastic will be wrapped around its exterior on which artists will set to work on the mural. The plastic wrap will be 65ft high and encircle the 1,000-yard circumference of the stadium.

There will also be no food outlets inside the 80,000-seat arena, which reduces the need for kitchens and higher levels of fire protection associated with cooking. Instead, architects have planned “party concourses” outside the stadium inspired by the successful “fan zones” at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where spectators gathered to eat and drink and watch the action on big screens.

On 23 March 2007 Building magazine revealed that as a cost saving measure, the stadium will not include a roof structure, except over an area for VIPs and executives. ^[1]

However, Sunday Times reports indicate that the roof structure, (predicted to be a "cable net" roof, using similar technology to that used in Munich 1972's Olympiastadion) will cover approximately two thirds of the stadium's seating, leaving a potential 26,000 spectators exposed to Britain's variable August weather patterns.

A six-month study conducted by Olympic organisers found that while no roof at all could invalidate any potential world records set at the stadium, a partial roof reduced the chance of winds that can invalidate sprint and jump records from 50% to 5%.

On 13 October 2006 LOCOG confirmed that it had selected the Team McAlpine consortium (consisting of McAlpine, HOK Sport + Venue + Event and Buro Happold) to start negotiations with, in hope to find the contractor fulfilling the eventual design and build contract of the new Olympic Stadium. ^[2]

The ODA received international and national interest to prequalify for the design and construction tender but Team McAlpine was the only consortium to meet all prequalification criteria. Team McAlpine was also the team who delivered the locally acclaimed new Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC.

Team McAlpine have extensive experience in the design and build of sports venues, including the Olympic Stadium for the 2000 Sydney Games.

It was announced in December 2006 that Peter Cook, the leading architect of HOK Sport + Venue + Event, will be involved in the design process of the stadium. He has promised to deliver a 'really chirpy building', with innovative features that will enable it to contract from an 80,000-seat venue to 25,000-seater after the Games.^[3] Cook founded the architectural group Archigram in 1961. His most recent architectural project was the Kunsthaus Graz, a museum of modern art, in Graz, Austria. Completion of the stadium is expected in summer 2011.

The legacy plan in the London 2012 bid is to have the stadium converted into a 25,000 seat athletics stadium with a sports training, science and medicine centre following the 2012 Paralympics. Media reports suggest that several potential tenants were interested in moving to the Olympic Stadium after the games, among them several London football clubs:

• Leyton Orient F.C. ^[4]. The closest club geographically, Leyton Orient announced in November 2007[1] that they were in negotiations regarding permanent tenancy after the games. This would allow for redevelopment of their existing Matchroom Stadium and provide a regular use for the Olympic venue.

• West Ham United ^[5]This proposal was advanced further following West Ham's takeover by an Icelandic consortium, with new Chairman Eggert Magnusson announcing in November 2006 that he would begin discussions with London 2012 and the government about the club eventually moving. ^[6]. In February 2007, West Ham's request to be allowed to move to the Olympic Stadium was rejected^[7].

• Chelsea F.C. ^[8]. There had also been speculation that Chelsea might move there, due to lack of room for expansion at their current stadium. However, due to the terms of the Chelsea Pitch Owners, the club would have to relinquish the name 'Chelsea Football Club' should they ever move from Stamford Bridge.

Despite several rounds of negotiations with potential tenants, LOCOG has elected to adhere to its bid commitment to provide a legacy for athletics at the stadium, with capacity reduced to a more financially viable 25,000.

The stadium design received a mixed response from the media, with reviews ranging from "magnificent" to a "bowl of blancmange".^[9]

The Olympic Stadium design was promoted as example of "sustainable development", but some architecture critics have questioned both its aesthetic value and suitability as a national icon - especially when compared to Beijing Stadium. For example, Ellis Woodman (Building Design's architecture critic) said of the design:

"The principle of it being dismountable is most welcome…it demonstrates an obvious interest in establishing an economy of means and as such is the antithesis of the 2008 Olympic stadium in Beijing. But while that's an achievement, it's not an architectural achievement. In design terms what we're looking at is pretty underwhelming."

He goes on to criticise the procurement and design processes - stating of the latter that that it should have been subject to an architectural competition.^[10]

This view was echoed by Tom Dyckhoff, The Times' architecture critic, who described the design as "tragically underwhelming" and commented that the "architecture of the 2008 and 2012 Olympics will, in years to come, be seen by historians as a "cunning indicator of the decline of the West and the rise of the East".^[11]

Amanda Baillieu (Building Design magazine) challenges the designer's claims that the stadium is environmentally sustainable and good value for money. Instead it is asserted that the reality will be rather the opposite. In particular, critics claim that:

• the temporary roof could not be re-used to cover the permanent 25 000 seating area - given the difference in size;
• it is unlikely that the removed seating would be wanted for any other event e.g. the Glasgow Commonwealth games; and
• the costs involved in dismantling the stadium - and surrounding "pods" - has not been factored into the estimated cost.^[12]

• Location of the Olympic Stadium on Google Maps (current photograph was taken in 2006, before construction began -- link accessed 2006-06-06)
• 2012 London Olympic Stadium Description and Images

v • d • e Summer Olympic stadia

Athens, 1896 • Paris, 1900 • St Louis, 1904 • London, 1908 • Stockholm, 1912 • Antwerp, 1920 • Paris, 1924 • Amsterdam, 1928 • Los Angeles, 1932 • Berlin, 1936 • London, 1948 • Helsinki, 1952 • Melbourne, 1956 • Rome, 1960 • Tokyo, 1964 • México City, 1968 • Munich, 1972 • Montréal, 1976 • Moscow, 1980 • Los Angeles, 1984 • Seoul, 1988 • Barcelona, 1992 • Atlanta, 1996 • Sydney, 2000 • Athens, 2004 • Beijing, 2008 • London, 2012

Coordinates: 51°32′19″N, 0°00′59″W