MAJOR EVENT LEGACIES
STUART FRASER T
he aim of creating a venue capable of hosting a memorable Games-time experience as well as hosting a multitude of events after the Olympics was at the
very heart of the architectural brief. That was reflected in the very first things we ever produced on our Copper Box bid – two presentation slides. The first one was titled “simplicity, efficiency and flex- ibility”, as that’s what we thought the venue needed to be and that’s what our design was all based on. The second slide was “Design for legacy: an overlay for the Games” – reflecting how long-term sus- tainability was at the heart of our design. We wanted the slides to demonstrate that while the building would have to meet very specific IOC requirements – such as sightlines and support facilities – the Games would still only cover the first 15 days of the venue’s life. We were determined that while the building had to meet the requirements for London 2012, the design shouldn’t be at the expense of the following 40 years of the venue’s life. I think we did a good job with those slides – when we saw the client, the Olympic Delivery Authority, a number of years later,
Partner, Make Architects, designers Copper Box
The architect behind the Copper Box goes takes us through the process of creating an iconic, multi-use venue able to deliver both a major event and a long legacy
which would allow it to be both efficient and flexible. What we wanted is for the venue to be used pretty much 24-7 – for people to be coming and going constantly. As part of the planning, we did a number
Stuart Fraser, partner, Make Architects, designers of the Copper Box
presenting the concept of the Copper Box to the GLA and the DCMS, they used those original slides! It made us realise that we’d hit the nail right on the head with our pitch.
DESIGN The design of the Copper Box was all about making it flexible and able to host a wide range of events. We wanted to keep the building quite simple in its shape and form,
of consultations where we met with local sports clubs, schools and people and simply asked: “what do you want?”. The talks acted as a sounding board for the local community and were really interesting and rewarding – and they did have a direct impact on the design and content of the venue. A great example is the dance studio. None of us had it on the list of possible facilities to begin with, but it quickly became obvious that it was something that was repeatedly asked for in consultations with the local population.
SUSTAINABILITY One of the key things we did sustainability-wise were the light pipes in the roof. There are 88 light pipes in total – stainless steel mirror polished tubes which are 4.5m deep and 50cm in diameter. They draw natural light indirectly into the heart of the venue and make the quality of the internal space feel better. The amount of light we draw in also means that the requirement for electrical lighting is cut by 40 per cent. So not only is there an environmental benefit but also a significant cost saving in terms of load. The light pipes are also a source
Now in its legacy mode, the venue is one of the largest indoor concert arenas in London 46
of personal satisfaction. When we first suggested the use of them we encountered a lot of resistance – mainly because they’d never been used before for sports and certainly not on the scale we would be using them. We had a battle on our hands to get our way and spent the best part of eight months convincing the likes of Sport England that they would be the way forward. Satisfyingly, since the experience of Copper Box, Sport England has actually changed its technical documents to include light pipes as a viable and sustainable option. l
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 4 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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