Quote:
Originally Posted by Innersoul1
Just curious about the Olympic Stadium. I understand that it will not contain any food outlets within the stadium, this decision was made as a means of saving cost that would have been added through fire protection and kitchens within the stadium. Has there been any concern in the media with regard to the proposed "party concourses" outside of the stadium?
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The original legacy strategy for the stadium was that the 80,0000 capacity stadium would be built around a 25,000 permanent bowl, with 55,000 temporary seats. It thus made little sense to build such infrastructure when looking at the long-term (the failure of many previous Olympics).
To my knowledge, the media haven't mentioned much about the composition of the stadium concourses as the on-going legacy mode battle for the stadium and dirty tactics involved between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspurs has taken much of the media's attention.
In my view, with the high level of security and carnival-like approach I suspect it won't be too much of a concern during the Olympics.
Of course, recent developments have seen the legacy strategy change quite a bit. Out goes the 25,000 stadium dedicated to athletics, in comes the multi-mode 60,000+ capacity stadium that would cater to athletics, football, cricket, other sports and concerts.
Details on whether a dedicated concourse would be constructed as part of the transaction haven't been made public yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ivymike
Wow, great photos! That said, thankfully NYC didn't win the bid- a rather bad time for it.
Was this the original plan or has it been value-engineered?
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The economic conditions in the wider economy aren't exactly great, but the Olympics have been a lifesaver for many businesses during the downturn.
The project has also fast-tracked several nearby developments which will see this area regenerated ahead of schedule.
One of the reasons London won the Olympics is that it presented a strong legacy case (refer to my above post to Innersoul regarding the stadium), where many of the arenas and facilities were either already in place (Wembley, Wimbledon, the 02, ExCeL, etc...) or temporary (Basketball, Water Polo, Shooting, etc...). Some events are using excellent backdrops such as Beach Volleyball at Horseguards Parade or Equestrian events at Maritime Greenwich.
Essentially the risk to the IOC was heavily reduced and it fits into their mantra of not wanting to see cities littered with white elephants (e.g. Athens and Beijing). Rio is following the same philosophy, and may even recycle some of the seats and arenas from London.
Craven Cottage Expansion
Home to Fulham Football Club in West London for 115 years, Craven Cottage is a compact and historic stadium with a capacity of 25,700.
Yet despite being in close proximity to fellow Premier League rivals (Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium is a mere 2.2km away and QPR's Loftus Road 3.81km), the stadium is at full capacity.
Failure to add capacity, will undoubtedly lead to Fulham struggling to generate the additional revenue to compete with not just other Premier League clubs, but London clubs in general.
Yet despite being backed by wealthy Egyptian Mohamed Al-Fayed, the present stadium site is constricted...
The above aerial illustrates the situation facing the club's present home:
- To the north lies an apartment complex,
- To the south lies a public park,
- To the east lies the expensive homes of Fulham and the Grade II listed Johnny Haynes Stand,
- To the west lies the slight hurdle of the Thames.
In the past, Fulham have looked at potentially moving to another site in West London, however fan pressure and the lack of potential sites has deterred such development.
Instead Fulham will expand the present Riverside Stand which backs onto the Thames to expand the capacity to 30,000. This would make Craven Cottage the 8th largest stadium in London (overtaking Selhurst Park and The Valley, of Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic respectively).
As part of the design a new pedestrian path along the Thames riverbank will be created (currently you have to detour around the stadium).
The aforementioned Grade II listed Johnny Haynes stand
Source: fliefy on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29423584@N08/5372826934/
New Chelsea FC Stadium
Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich has recently held discussions with the owners of the Battersea Power Station site in south-west London, about the possibility of constructing a new 60,000 seat stadium.
The site is located 3km due east of Chelsea's present home in Stamford Bridge and has been idle for several years ever since power generation seized.
Several developers over the years have struggled to get construction off the ground which would have seen the site become home to several thousand homes.
The Power Station itself is a giant art deco landmark, and is classified as being the largest brick-building in Europe. In recent years the vast canvass has been utilised for various extreme sports events, obscure parties and locations for films. Fans of
The Dark Knight may recall it being used in some scenes.
Chelsea have desperately been seeking ways to expand match-day revenue for several years, as the present 42,500 capacity Stamford Bridge is constrained by surrounding developments. There is also pressure to maximise attendances that a larger stadium could provide to offset against the incoming UEFA Financial Fair Play rules restricting callous uncontrollable expenditure.
Previously, the Earls Court site was viewed as a potential opportunity, however going by recent developments this would appear unlikely as that vast site is set to become a large residential development. Earls Court would have been ideal for the club as the site is adjacent to the Earls Court tube station (a major transport hub) and only 700m from their present home.
There are a few hurdles to Chelsea's potential move however, despite the $bn's available to the club courteously of Mr Abramovich:
- The pitch and naming rights to the club are owned by the Chelsea Pitch Owners (around 15,000 individuals), without their permission, the club would be unable to sell the present site or use the 'Chelsea FC' name.
- Even with a stadium, the site would still need extensive development (potential for several thousand housing units).
- The club would have to contribute towards the planned Northern Line Extension to Battersea.
Almacantar has been appointed as development partner, while KPF have been instructed to draw up plans.
My view - this entire area up to Vauxhall is due to be redeveloped in the coming years, so this could be a good catalyst for other developments. I suspect the stadium would struggle to be incorporated into the power station however.
Stamford Bridge
Source: Gkriniaris on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gkriniaris/4378545156/
Battersea Power Station
Source: John Linwood on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/2704588...n/photostream/
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