Hammers Reveal Olympic Stadium Design
Barclays Premier League side West Ham United have revealed its plans for the redevelopment of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, after an agreement was reached with government to become the anchor tenant of the venue last month.
The latest plans include drawings illustrating how the lower level of retractable seats will be brought closer to the pitch over the running track to make the Stadium more suitable for football – and avoiding a huge gap between the players and the fans.
The drawings, published on the club’s official site, also show how the Stadium will be able to function as a football ground, with the four sides of the lower bowl pushed towards the pitch by automated motors, as well as an athletics arena – with seating withdrawn.
The drawings reveal a unique gravity stressed design of the roof, which could become the largest spanning tensile roof in the world according to the Premier League club, but without the distinctive triangular pylons that currently rise from the Stadium.
Meanwhile, the stands at each end of the ground will be named after club legends Bobby Moore, the only England captain to lift the FIFA World Cup, and Sir Trevor Brooking.
A statement on the West Ham website explained: ‘An automated system using drive motors will move all four sides of the lower bowl forward to bring the seats closer to the pitch, thus ensuring that the running track will not be visible when the Stadium is in football mode.’
‘The designs are such that the seating distances will now compare favourably with the best in UK stadia such as the Emirates and Wembley and the top stadia around the world.’
‘By way of example they will be 10 metres closer to the goal line than the Stade De France in Paris, which boasts a similar system.’
It is estimated that £160 million will be required to convert it into a 54,000-seater football stadium, with Newham Council to invest £40 million towards the cost of conversion, while the Legacy Company will also contribute.
The football club itself will pay £15 million towards conversion, with £2 million in rent, along with a share of catering revenues.
The club signed a 99-year lease for the ground in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and expects to move in in time for the start of the 2016/17 season.
