In the last few weeks work has commenced to prepare the Olympic Stadium for it’s transformation into a multi-purpose stadium and the new home of West Ham United. Diggers have already removed the turf and more dismantling will be visible very soon. In the next few weeks contractors will begin to dismantle the existing roof and the iconic floodlight towers. This work is expected to take around four months to complete this phase.
Contracts awarded
Populous are already on board as the architect for the shell-and-core conversion contract. They were the original architects for the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.
The first of new contracts to be awarded included Careys who picked up a £1.5m contract for preparatory work for Balfour Beatty to build the new roof.
Imtech G&H won a £25m contract for electrical and plumbing work in the redesigned stadium.
The big winners at this stage were Balfour Beatty who walked away with a £41m contract to fit a new Olympic Stadium roof.
When it is completed the roof will be twice its original size to allow all-weather protection for spectators and improved acoustics for football matches & concerts. A combination of solid and transparent roof coverings will allow natural light to flow through. The roof boasts a gravity-stressed structure spanning 84m and will provide cover for football fans sitting above the existing running track. Then an extensive cable net system will be fitted to support the new roof which will be constructed on the floor of stadium and then lifted into position.Several 600-tonne cranes operating within the stadium will then tandem lift the supporting roof steel work into place.
The main £100m main conversion contract will be procured under a separate contract and is yet to be awarded.Five firms are in the running for this contract, including Balfour Beatty, Buckingham, ISG, Shepherd and Sir Robert McAlpine. McAlpine is widely expected to take the main contract as former Olympic Stadium builder, although the roof award makes Balfour a serious contender too.
Although the new roof, electrical and plumbing contracts are expected to be completed by Spring 2015 in time for the Rugby World Cup the retractable seating will not be completed by then.The retractable seating project is scheduled to commence after the end of the Rugby world cup but will be completed by the start of the 2016 football season.
One thing we are almost definitely saying goodbye to is the iconic Olympic Stadium triangle flood lights. The 14 existing lighting towers reach 70m (230ft) above the ground and they support a total of 532 individual lights. The new partially transparent roof will not take the weight of all 14 flood lights and they are expected to become art sculptures around the Queen Elizabeth although a few may be put back on the Stadium as ornaments.
As these two artist impressions show the new designed floodlights for the stadium are inverted triangles.
The whole three-year conversion project involves replacing the roof, building new hospitality suites and installing retractable seating over the athletics track.
The current phase of digging up the grass will allow giant cranes to be installed. They will also bury the running track beneath a protective layer of synthetic sheet and crushed gravel.
The Olympic Stadium cost tax payers £429m to build for the London 2012 Olympics. It is estimated up to £200m of contracts will be awarded before the Stadium is ready for the first football to be kicked in 2016.
The link to the Planning Permission Documentation can be found HERE