NON-TRADITIONAL STRUCTURES
An artists’ impression of Horse Guards Parade as it might look during the beach volleyball competitions
Even the permanent structures have
temporary elements to them. The Olym- pic Stadium will be reduced from 80,000 to 25,000-seat capacity. Likewise, the Aquatics Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid, will be reduced from a 17,500 to a 2,500-seat capacity by taking the two temporary wings off the side. “Enabling permanent venues to leave
the right legacy is central to Populous’ design approach for major events,” says Jopson. “By considering overlay from the start, embracing the temporary is- sues and including them as an integral part of our design philosophy, we’re able to ensure that every venue, whether permanent or temporary, offers the ap- propriate legacy to its end users.” As it’s unlikely that these venues would
be used for another Olympic purpose in their useful lifespan, Jopson says: “If we built to satisfy the Olympic requirements in permanent form, it would be incred- ibly wasteful. These buildings have to be maintained post-Games, so you need to get the brief right from the outset. It’s an interesting challenge to find creative ways of using standard temporary com- ponents, which redefines the nature of temporary event architecture.”
Sporting icons Drivers Jonas Deloitte’s partnership with LOCOG involves the delivery of four key landmark venues being fit for sporting purpose during the event. Hosting the equestrian events, Lon-
don’s Greenwich Park will feature a 20,000-seat temporary arena; Horse Guards Parade will host beach volleyball events with a 15,000-seat arena; the Mall will be the start and finish of the mara- thon, cycle race and race walk and Hyde Park will be used for the triathlon and 10k open swim events.
It’s an interesting challenge to find creative ways of
using standard temporary components, which redefines the nature of temporary event architecture
Drivers Jonas Deloitte has a track re-
cord of delivering stadia in this country, including seven new builds and many re- developments and expansions. According to the director of the sports and leisure management team, Stephen Jepson, whether it’s a temporary or permanent stadium, the building process is fairly simi- lar: “The difference here is that we have little time to build the structures and then take them away afterwards,” he says. “As most of these sites are in con-
tinual use there’s pressure to take them over for the shortest period possible. For example, work will start on site at Greenwich Park a couple of months be- fore the Olympic Games start, readapted to subsequent Paralympic demands and then put back to normal four weeks later. Horse Guards Parade has an even tighter timeframe: Six weeks to set up and four weeks to take down. In order to meet these deadlines, everything will be built off site, then brought in and quickly slotted together. Since these are public areas, it is also important that the build- ings do not get damaged in any way.” According to Jepson, Greenwich Park presented an interesting challenge. “In
order to give a level field of play, a deck has been recreated, which feels and sounds the same as solid ground. This has been tested with horses and signed off by the international federations. It’ll be installed for a test event in the park this summer and then warehoused until the summer of 2012. Similarly, a second deck has also been constructed for Horse Guards Parade to provide a beach plat- form for beach volleyball.” With just 16 months to go, the Velo-
drome is now complete. The planning process is coming to an end, procure- ment of commodities, such as seats and toilets, is well underway and construc- tion documents are being drawn up. Then there’s the series of test events that will ensure the venues are fully function- al and fit for purpose. Despite the ongoing pressure, Jepson is
excited about the outcome. “With sports projects you get the spine tingling mo- ment when the competitors come out for the first time. When you hear the crowd cheering it’s great to feel that you’ve had a part in preparing for the big event.” ●
Kath Hudson is a freelance writer
58 Read Sports Management online
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Issue 1 2011 © cybertrek 2011
PIC ©TEAM POPULOUS
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