PANSTADIA & ARENA MANAGEMENT WINTER 2013/14


in Rio, Brazil. Middling says this would be the fi rst time that core components of a venue have moved directly from one major international Games to the next. “It shows that they are not just temporary venues – ‘demountable venues’ is a more correct description,” he adds.


Ideological legacy


Beside its physical afterlife, the Royal Artillery Barracks also has an ideological legacy. For one thing, it has helped to foster positive perceptions of shooting. Spectators watched the events within a modern, colourful and fun-looking setting, in contrast to the conservative, conventional image often associated with the sport. “Good design can capture the imagination of the public,” says Middling.


But the biggest ideological impact of the project is within the fi eld of venue design. This venue is an exemplar of the way in which London 2012 overturned preconceptions of temporary structures. Like the wider Games, the Royal Artillery Barracks showcased well designed structures that acted as transient overlays to existing environments, and showed off the city as a backdrop.


The shooting venue was a temporary structure designed to feel like a permanent one. Its striking architecture and substantial double-skinned construction made spectators feel that they were getting the full Olympic experience in a noteworthy venue,


Image copyright: Hufton+Crow


rather than watching a minor event in a makeshift tent. “Spectators for the shooting events were paying the same prices as for events staged in permanent venues on the main Olympic park. It was important that they felt there was equality of experience.” says Middling. “Many contractors say that temporary venues just can’t live up to permanent ones. I don’t think it’s true.”


Borrowing from its wealth of experience in designing permanent sport venues, Mott MacDonald applied a major project design approach and sophisticated BIM design, analysis and scheduling processes to this temporary venue. The results outstripped expectations, and it is hoped the underlying philosophy


of transience and reuse combined with engineering and architectural excellence will infl uence the design of major international sporting events for years to come.


Mott MacDonald is already applying lessons learned from the Royal Artillery Barracks in its master planning role on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Rio de Janeiro has greater demand than London for permanent venues, so Middling predicts that the 2016 Olympics will not showcase temporary structures quite to the same extent. But he says the 2020 host city, Tokyo, is likely to take heavy cues from London’s temporary and overlay venues.


He emphasises that procurement is the key to creating a truly temporary venue that can be dispersed back into the rental market. Procuring appropriate materials is important – for example, the shooting venue’s fabric skins were made from phthalate-free PVC rather than ETFE, as the latter hardens in the sun and is therefore unsuitable for reuse – but getting contracts right is fundamental. Mott MacDonald ensured that many of the supply chain contracts contained buy-back clauses, leading to the swift sale and reuse of elements, and avoiding the costs of keeping items in storage while searching for a buyer.


The Royal Artillery Barracks was a central contributor to London 2012’s portfolio of bar-raising temporary venues. Last year’s Games proved that impermanent venues do not have to be artless or ineffi cient, and set a new sustainable template for future international competitions. “The Games opened people’s eyes to what you can do,” says Middling. “London changed the industry forever.” 


48 showcase CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING


The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic shooting venue provided a spectator experience on a par with permanent venues, although it was made up entirely of demountable structures.


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