The London Velodrome

FACT FILE

  • ENGINEERS
    Expedition Engineering
  • ARCHITECTS
    Hopkins Architects
  • DATE Of COMPLETION
    2011

The London Velodrome was built for the 2012 Olympic Games.  It was the most energy efficient building on the Olympic site and has been called the most sustainable stadium ever. The team from Expedition worked hard to develop the most light-weight structure possible. They looked at a number of different structural options to support the long spanning roof. The final solution is so efficient that the weight of the steel in the roof equates to an average of 30kg/m2 – about 35% less than the next best comparable venue in the world. Click here to read a detailed description of how the structure of the Velodrome works.

It took 4 years from the opening of the competition for design teams in February 2007 to practical completion in January 2011 to design and build the Velodrome. The design stages are shown in described in more detail in this project programme (pdf opens in a new tab) put together by Jonathon Watts, Architect on the Velodrome with Hopkins.

You can also watch elements of the Velodrome being constructed in the following short videos:


Below are a few interesting articles that have been written about the Velodrome:

Interactive Models

IMAGE GALLERY

Arial photo of ground works beginning at the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
Completed London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
Fabrication of ring beam connections
Driven piles which now support the lightly loaded infield slab of the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
Installing the timber facade of the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
The steel structure which supports seating in the velodrome bowl is integrated with the structure of the perimeter roof ring beam.
Laying out the cables prior to lift during the construction of the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
Roof node before the cables were lifted at the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
London 2012 Olympic Velodrome roof ring beam
Tensioning roof cables during construction of the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
Tensioning roof cables during construction of the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
Tensioning roof cables during construction of the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
Underneath the track at the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome
Setting up the model for wind testing for the design of the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome