2012 Olympic Stadium begins to rise

Progress on the London 2012 Olympic Park became clearly visible this week as new images revealed the columns of the Olympic Stadium emerging from the ground (see time lapse video on the right).

Over 100 columns, each 5 m tall, have already been constructed and act as the support for the podium of the Stadium's west and south stands. This also forms the lower ground floor of the West Stand, which houses the athletes' changing rooms, a 60 m long call track and other back of house facilities such as doping control and treatment rooms.

The work to create the foundations for the Olympic Stadium is also nearing completion with over 3500 of the 4000 permanent piles already installed.

Commenting on the news, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman John Armitt said, "As these new images show, the Olympic Stadium is already beginning to rise out of the ground and over the coming months, we will begin to see the size and scale of this flagship venue. There is still a long way to go and we are not complacent about the challenges ahead, but we have made a strong start out of the blocks."

In May this year, construction started on the Stadium site three months earlier than originally planned. Eight tower cranes, each between 48 and 60 m high, have also now all been erected in the Stadium ‘bowl' for the concrete work and steel and roof erection.

The work is also now underway on the abutments that support the first of the five pedestrian footbridges over waterways that surround the Stadium site. During the Games the bridge will be one of the main connections for spectators to and from the Stadium to the east of the Olympic Park.

A pre-cast concrete batching plant that has been set up on the south part of the Olympic Stadium site to cast almost 200 rakers, the concrete structures that will support the seating units for the lower 25000 permanent seats, will help reduce vehicle movements in the local area.

Olympic Stadium facts & figures:

- Over 1000 construction workers will be based on the Stadium site

- 33 buildings on the Olympic Stadium site have been demolished

- Over 800000 tonnes of soil has been taken away to help create the construction platform for the Stadium

- The Stadium is highly sustainable, containing around 10000 tonnes of steel - the lightest Olympic Stadium to date

- The total Stadium island site covers an area of 16.19 ha

- The Stadium is 53m high

- The Stadium roof covers an area of 24500 m2 - the equivalent to three and a half football pitches.