Blog Series: Past, Present & Future - Future: 2012 London Olympics

What happens after the 2012 Olympics leave London?

Anticipation builds as we all prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Athletes have spent the last four years, since the 2008 Beijing Olympics (if not longer), preparing for their most impressive performances yet and with just days before the torch is to be lit, the city of London is sure to be swarming with spectators and media from all over the world. It is estimated that over one million people will attend various events throughout the London Olympics. So how does a city prepare to accommodate for something so large? And what happens after everyone leaves?

London won the 2012 Olympic bid in July 2005, giving the city almost exactly seven years to prepare for this event. It is common for Olympic host cities to be stuck with giant venues but rarely needed again. However, London decided to put a considerable amount of attention on redevelopment, particularly focusing on sustainability, during the construction process for the Olympic venues.

By utilizing a mixture of new venues, existing and historic venues, as well as temporary facilities, London has not only revitalized areas of the city that had been neglected for some time, but will also avoid the costly bill of maintaining facilities that cannot be utilized regularly (venue upkeep in Beijing following the 2008 Games has been more than $24 million annually). Some of the new facilities will be reused in their Olympic form, while others have the capabilities of being resized and/or relocated in order to better suite everyday use.

The largest temporary, reusable venue of the 2012 Olympics, the basketball arena, is already looking at a sustainable future for large sports, as the chief of the Rio 2016 Olympics has already expressed interest in having it transferred to Brazil. It is the largest removable structure in Europe and was built to be easily broken down, sold and moved anywhere in the world. The structure, an extremely large PVC tent, was designed with a patterned surface created where the skin stretches over the arched frames, giving the venue a unique look and something much different than most PVC tents. Because Basketball is not especially popular in England, this is the perfect solution to not needing to maintain a 12,000-seat arena. 

The Olympic swimming arena will be transformed after the Games, allowing the space to be used on an everyday basis. For the Olympics, the venue will seat 17,500. However, post-Games, the two temporary “wings” will be removed, reducing the capacity to 2,500 with an additional 1,000 seats for major events. These wings are made of steel which will be recycled. The pool floor is currently 9 ft. deep for Olympic standards. However, the floor to the pool can be lowered or raised to meet users’ needs post-Games. 

IMAGE: FASTCOMPANY.COM

Another notable construction decision was made with the Olympic Athlete’s Village. The International Olympic Committee requires the hosting city to provide housing for 15,000 athletes and officials. However, it does not want athletes to cook. London’s solution was to build the 3,000 apartments necessary to fulfill the housing requirements, but leave each apartment kitchen empty so the space can be utilized as a bedroom. After the Games, the kitchens will be completed and the apartments will be sold at below-market prices. 

London may not look as luxurious as Beijing in 2008, but in these economic times, they will be setting precedence for future Olympic host cities. London has created a sustainable environment perfect for hosting the Olympic Games and for utilizing the facilities long after the torch is extinguished.