Velodrome in London
The velodrome for the 2012 Olympic Games in London is an elegantly curved shell structure with seating for 6,000 spectators. The overall form is divided horizontally into two parts. Enclosed within an earth embankment, the plinth bears the two upward curving ends of the cycle-racing track and houses the lower stands plus all functional spaces. A glazed circulation zone separates this from the timber-clad shell at the top, the form of which was determined by the sight lines from the upper tiers of seating on the two long sides of the track. Here, a 22-metre-high, broadly canti-levered structure is generated.
