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:
- Olympic Special, Building Magazine, July 2010
- Roof Solutions, Building Design, December 2008
- Welcome to the Velodrome, Evening Standard, September 2008
- Project Focus, The Structural Engineer, June 2012
- Learning Legacy, Olympic Delivery Authority, October 2011
