London 2012, Sport

Basketball Arena

Location : London   |   Status : Completed   |   Sector : London 2012, Sport

Description
Richard Arnold was the Project Sponsor with the Olympic Delivery Authority during the construction of the basketball arena on the Olympic Park.

The 12,000 seat basketball arena is the third largest venue built by the ODA and was one of the most heavily-used venues during the Olympic and Paralympic Games having staged basketball, handball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and acting as a holding area for the athletes taking part in the opening and closing ceremonies.

The venue is entirely temporary with over two-thirds of the materials and elements within the building being capable of being re-used or re-cycled after the Games.

The venue’s frame is made up of 1,000 tonnes of steel and is covered in 20,000 m sq of recyclable white PVC fabric that act as a giant canvas for spectacular lighting displays during the Games. The structure and fabric will be relocated after the Games to form a new arena.

The basketball arena was one of the quickest Olympic Park venues to be constructed with works starting in October 2009 and completed by June 2011. However, it is the engineering and design behind the temporary nature of the venue that makes this so unique. It is one of the largest temporary venues ever built for the Games and this combined with its ability to be relocated will ensure it is a template for future Games and major events.