London 2012 Olympic Velodrome

Project title: London 2012 Olympic Velodrome

Location: Olympic Park, Stratford

Value: £535,000

Duration: 5 Months

Project Background

The Olympic Velodrome building, also termed as the Pringle due to its curved roof, was the first Olympic venue to be completed in early 2011.
Nominated for a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize 2011 to recognise its design excellence, the venue has a seating capacity of 6,000.
The facility is fitted with well-placed roof lights which reduces the need for artificial lighting. Its unique design also cuts down the energy required to heat the main arena. The design included natural ventilators in the external timber cladding to ensure the comfort of competitors and spectators alike.

The Project

The Velodrome

Group SCS was brought in at the early stages to advise on the best ventilation product and solution for the complex design. This involved devising a way of incorporating 208 automated louvred ventilators into the 5,000m2 of timber cladding, to allow the venue to be naturally ventilated throughout.

Requirements

There were stringent water-tightness requirements for the vents so Group SCS had to install a louvre in a mocked-up section of timber wall and subject it to a series of rigorous heavy duty tests in a special test facility to prove that they would withstand the most extreme weather conditions before starting work.

Our Solution

Although not the specified methodology, we suggested installing 4 vents into each 6 m x 3 m wall panel at the production facility. This saved both installation time and reduced the number of contractors required on a site where space and security were key issues.

Another advantage of pre-installing the vents into the panels was the elimination of specialist access requirements for onsite installation at heights of up to 20 m.

A clear understanding of the clients’ goals and our lean approach speeded up the installation process considerably and removed a number of logistical issues onsite. Group SCS designed and manufactured control panels and installed these and cabling throughout the venue’s 6 zones, fully integrating them with the building’s BMS system.

This BMS system monitors external and internal conditions and adjusts the vent settings accordingly so that optimum conditions are always achieved in the venue, while minimising its environmental impact.

Installing 4 vents into each 6 m x 3 m wall panel at the production facility

Saved installation time and reduced the number of contractors required onsite

Eliminated specialist access requirements for onsite installation at heights of up to 20m

Designed and manufactured control panels and installed these and cabling throughout the venue’s 6 zones, fully integrating them with the building’s BMS system

The BMS system monitors external and internal conditions and adjusts the vent settings accordingly so that optimum conditions are always achieved in the venue