Balfour Beatty has won the £154 million contract for the full transformation of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium – the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium - into a multi use venue.
Balfour Beatty is already working on the £41 million contract to replace the stadium roof which it was awarded last summer and which is now included in the new contract. The stadium’s new cable net roof will be 84 metres wide at its deepest point, the largest cantilevered roof in the world, which will cover every stadium seat.
Work will start as soon as possible on a two year work programme. Around 400 construction jobs are expected to be created, with the contractor committed to using local labour, and creating apprenticeships that will amount to some 7% of the total workforce.
Stadium operator E20 Stadium, a joint venture between the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham London Borough Council, want the stadium to be capable of filling a wide range of roles, providing a lasting sporting, cultural and commercial legacy of the 2012 London Olympics.
The stadium is to be the new home of West Ham United football club from 2016 and will become the new national competition stadium for athletics, hosting elite international athletics events as well as range of other sporting, cultural and community events. The stadium will host five matches during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. A new community athletics track will be provided next to the main stadium.
Sustainable construction methods are to feature throughout the project, including recycled parts of the existing stadium being incorporated into the new structure.
Balfour Beatty Chief Executive Andrew McNaughton said: “During construction, our firm commitment to the use of local labour and the creation of apprenticeships will continue to benefit the local community and the wider industry and, upon completion, the Stadium will provide a first class sporting and cultural facility for many generations to come.”
Photo credit: ODA
