London Stadium (Olympic Stadium) conversion
London, England · 2013-2015 (conversion) · £323 million (estimated total for conversion)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchAdaptability: The stadium was designed with adaptability in mind, allowing for conversion to a multi-purpose venue. - Largest cable net roof: The new roof is a significant engineering achievement, providing cover for all seats. - Retractable seating: A complex system was installed to move seats for different events, but it is time-consuming and costly to operate. - Cost and political scrutiny: The conversion project faced considerable criticism for its escalating costs and delays.
Key engineering challenges
Converting a temporary athletics stadium into a permanent multi-purpose venue for football and other events. - Installing a new, larger roof structure over the existing stadium bowl. - Implementing a retractable seating system to accommodate different sports configurations. - Managing significant cost overruns and delays during the conversion process.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), West Ham United (anchor tenant)
- Lead contractor
- Balfour Beatty (initial conversion works), Populous (design)
- Lead designers
- Populous, Buro Happold
- Project type
- upgrade/refurbishment (conversion from Olympic Stadium to multi-purpose stadium)
- Scale
- Original capacity: 80,000 (Olympics), Post-conversion capacity: 66,000, Largest single-span cable net stadium roof structure in the world, Retractable seating system
- Disciplines
- Structural Engineering; Civil Engineering; Architecture; Building Services Engineering
- Standards & frameworks
- UEFA Elite stadium standards; UK Building Regulations (implied)
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Stadium; https://www.burohappold.com/projects/london-2012-olympic-stadium-post-games-conversion/; https://populous.com/showcases/london-olympic-stadium-transformation; https://www.steelconstruction.info/London_Olympic_Roof_Conversion