The structural aspects of the London 2012 Copper Box

The UK Olympic Stadium, which will host athletic events and the opening and closing ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has developed around an innovative use of permanent and temporary structures designed to meet the 80 000 Games spectator capacity and a 25 000 Legacy spectator capacity.

The Aquatics Centre is a centrepiece of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and undoubtedly will be one of the greatest legacies left to London as a lasting symbol of this event, which will transform East London. The facility has been designed primarily as an iconic legacy building with all Olympic Mode add-ons as temporary elements designed to be simple, functional and as economic as possible whilst maintaining the operational requirements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) is a high profi le prestigious project funded by public money in very challenging economic times. RPS was presented with a brief to deliver the design of the building to an accelerated programme, at the lowest possible cost, whilst containing fl exible broadcasting space with legacy opportunities. The IBC will accommodate the world’s broadcasters for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.The building was designed and constructed to maintain a fl exible space that has the potential to be subdivided if required. The resultant design was to ‘Secured by Design’ standards and approved by the Commission for the Built Environment (CABE).