Olympic project for Balfour Beatty

The £154 million (€185.2 million) contract to transform the UK’s London 2012 Olympic Stadium into an all-round multi-use venue has gone to international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty.

Also, 300 homes at the gateway to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are going on sale this week.

The full transformation works to the Olympic Stadium are for its operator E20 Stadium – a joint venture between the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council.

This new contract includes a £41 million (€49.3 million) stadium roof contract Balfour Beatty was awarded in the summer.

The new venue will host five matches during the Rugby World Cup 2015, and will be the permanent home of West Ham United Football Club from 2016.

The venue will also become the new national competition stadium for athletics in the UK as well as hosting elite international athletics events and other sporting, cultural and community events. A new community athletics track will also be provided next to the main stadium.

Sustainable construction methods will include features of the existing facility being recycled and incorporated into the new stadium, and the re-use of crushed demolition material, existing balustrades and sanitary ware.

Balfour Beatty said that when reconfigured, the stadium’s cable net roof – 84m at its widest point – would be the largest cantilevered roof in the world. It will cover every stadium seat.

Balfour Beatty chief executive Andrew McNaughton said, “During construction, our firm commitment to the use of local labour and the creation of apprenticeships will continue to benefit the local community and the wider industry and, upon completion, the stadium will provide a first-class sporting and cultural facility for many generations to come.”

Works start on site early this year, and are due for completion in the spring of 2016.

International Quarter

Meanwhile, more than 300 new homes located at the gateway to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London are going on sale as joint venture partners Lend Lease and London Continental Railways (LCR) launch the first phase of The International Quarter in Stratford.

The residential development – named Glasshouse Gardens – is being developed by Lend Lease, the integrated property and infrastructure group.

Arranged across two tower buildings, the homes will range from one- to three-bedroom apartments. The homes will be ready in 2016 for the first residents to move in.

Glasshouse Gardens forms part of The International Quarter, which is a joint venture between Lend Lease and LCR to deliver a £1.3 billion (€1.6 billion) commercial and residential development.