Gold-winning consultation
Four times Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy and the British cycling squad were ‘blown away’ by their first London 2012 Olympic Velodrome experience. The Velodrome stadium will fit 6000 roaring fans during the games, bringing them closer than ever to the riders. The riders themselves are looking forward to the intense atmosphere spurring them on to even better performances.

Hoy was involved in the design consultation. Hopkins Architects who are committed to sustainable architecture have an impeccable record for creating innovative, functional and beautiful structures. The London Olympic Velodrome has been nicknamed ‘the Pringle’ (a potato snack) because of its striking saddle shape mimicking the shape of the snack. Aiming to create a beautiful legacy building, designers had to fulfil the strict requirements set by the Olympic Development Authority of cost-efficiency and sustainability.

Tough criteria
One of the ways the building is unique is its cable-net roof covering a closed stadium – a complicated build but it saved 1000 tonnes of steel. Also, wrapping the structure around the contents so closely means they save on heating costs. Roof lights allow enough natural light to enter so artificial lighting is minimised in the day.

As Bannister puts it, ‘we were under tight cost pressures during the whole project and by saving on materials that helped us keep the costs down and achieving that is a good thing.’ The pay-off would be record-breaking performances this summer.