The London Legacy Development Corporation said that the final cost of turning the stadium into a new home for West Ham United Football Club would be £272m. The price agreed with main contractor Balfour Beatty in December 2013 was £154m.
The legacy corporation said that the costs reflected “the huge scale of the works undertaken to transform the former Olympic venue from a temporary athletics stadium into a year-round multi-use arena capable of delivering world class sporting and cultural events”.
Work has included the removal of the original roof and light paddles and installation of a new permanent roof, the largest of its kind in the world. The 45,000m2 cantilevered roof needed significant strengthening of the superstructure to support the 8km of cable net, 112 steel rafters, 9,900 roof panels and 14 light paddles each weighing 45 tonnes.
An innovative retractable seating system required the removal of the lower seating bowl. The 21,000 movable seats bring the fans close to the pitch for football and rugby ensuring the Stadium has a long-term legacy. Other works included installing catering facilities, toilets and turnstiles, all of which were only temporary during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
David Goldstone, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “We have invested in transforming a temporary athletics venue into a permanent world class multi use arena that has a secure and long-term sustainable future. This has required a significant amount of work and innovative engineering solutions.
“Alongside the transformation work the deals signed with British Athletics and West Ham United and the appointment of a stadium operator [Vinci] ensures the stadium will pay its way and not require any continuing subsidy from the taxpayer.”
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