However, modern football clubs rely on the income generated by corporate hospitality facilities, as well as the more sophisticated concessions that are a common feature in general admission areas to accommodate these needs a ‘halo’ of spectator facilities was conceived, encircling the stadium.Īs well as improved hospitality offerings, this halo also includes entry turnstiles, which had previously been positioned away from the stadium, preventing public access to the island. In 2012, the concessions stands throughout the Olympic Park negated the requirement for hospitality provisions within the stadium itself. In order to preserve some of the Olympic Stadium’s unique identity, the iconic triangular lighting tower design that used to stand over the old roof has been inverted and they now hang underneath the new, larger roof.
The new roof covers every seat in the stadium and has been designed to improve acoustics and heighten the spectator experience, reflecting the noise of the terraces, focussing the sound and projecting it towards the pitch. The fabric roof used during the games has been removed and replaced by a larger solid roof that is the largest single-span cable net stadium roof structure in the world 45,000m 2 in size, and 84m at its deepest point. Part of this transformation design incorporates the potential for a fully-automated system of retractable seating, with all four sides of the lower bowl designed to move over the new running track when in football mode.
INNOVATION. Populous’ transformation design solution embraces the opportunity to create a fantastic legacy for a building designed for a particular purpose, at a very special time.