The 12,000 seat London 2012 Basketball Arena is coming out of the ground on the Olympic Park with the first steel arches of the frame lifted into place.
The 1,000-tonne steel frame comprises 20 arching steel trusses, each one 35m, which span some 96m.
Barr Construction is main contractor on the Arena.
Once the temporary 115m long Basketball Arena is complete it will be wrapped in 20,000sq m of fabric, which will form a canvas for a changing lighting design during the Games.
The temporary seating and accommodation around the venue will start to be installed this summer with the Arena on track to be complete by summer 2011 ready for test events.
When construction is finished, Bar will own the Arena structure, with the ODA renting it for the duration of the Games. Afterwards, the contractor will dismantle it to be reused elsewhere.
Other contractors involved in the project include:
- Slick Seating in Redditch are providing the temporary seating;
- Base from Bristol are providing the membrane cladding for the outside of the Arena;
- Envirowrap from Tenterden in Kent are providing the wrapping for the seats;
- MITIE will be installing the mechanical and electrical Services in the Arena;
- McAvoy from Dungannon are building the temporary accommodation,
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- Volker Fitzpatrick will be fitting out the Arena;
- Morrison Construction are undertaking the foundations and drainage;
- Corus are providing the steel;
- Watsons in Bolton are fabricating the steel;
- Fullflow Group in Sheffield will be installing the syphonic drainage.
During the Games will host Basketball preliminaries and women’s quarter-finals and Handball quarter-finals semi-finals and finals. During the Paralympic Games it will host Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Rugby. The Arena will also house the athletes before they make their way down to the Stadium for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
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