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2012International Magazine

ISSN 1363-0148

www.galvanizing.org.uk

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olympic Village: Shared communal landscape | 4 london velodrome: Undulating and curvaceous | 8 olympic park: Rejuvenation – large and small interventions | 12 lea valley Cable Tunnels: Going underground | 15

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Editorial

Welcome to the second issue of our redesigned magazine. i

have taken over the hot seat from David Baron, our previous

editor, having sub edited the magazine for longer than i would

like to admit. i would like to thank David for his hard work and

commitment to the magazine over the the last 20 years.

i will endeavour to keep you updated with an eclectic mix of

interesting, informative and delightful projects from the world of

galvanizing.

our special 2012 olympic Games issue features projects both large

and small that will play an important role within the Games.

the curvaceous Velodrome

takes design of its type to

new heights, emphasising

the pursuit of efficiency,

lightweight construction and

high performance standards.

the olympic park has not

only transformed an area

that used to be an industrial

wasteland into one that will

host many of the sporting

venues but will in Legacy,

contribute to connecting and

creating communities across

the area.

Smaller scale projects that may not immediately grab the headlines

have had an important role to play. the rerouting of overhead

power lines to underground tunnels was critical to the functioning

of the olympic site.

For digital readers, don‘t forget our magazine is available on the

Apple app store.

New Broom.

Hot Dip Galvanizing – An international journal published jointly

by the galvanizing associations of Germany and Great Britain. it is licensed

to associations in Spain.

Edited by: i. Johal, G. Deimel, H. Glinde (Editor in Chief), . Published by: Galvanizers Association, Wren‘s Court, 56 Victoria Road,

Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B72 1SY, UK;

tel: +44 (0) 121 355 8838, Fax: +44 (0) 121 355 8727,

E-Mail: ga@hdg.org.uk, internet: www.galvanizing.org.uk

this magazine may not be copied without the written permisson of the editor

© 20121

Hockeywarm-up

area

The Orbit

Entrance

Entrance

A12

Stratford High Street

Temporary Southern Spectator

Transport Mall

Entrance

Loop road

Loop Road

North-W

est Concourse

The Greenway

River Lea

Temporary Northern SpectatorTransport Mall

North-East Concourse

Stratford International station

HS1

Stratfordstation

West Ham station

Tower HamletsTT

Hackney

Newham

AquaticsCentre

OlympicStadium

Warm-up area

Water Polo Arena

Sponsors’Hospitality

Zone

HockeyCentre

International Broadcast Centre/

Main Press Centre

Velodrome

BMX Circuit

Eton Manor

BasketballArena

Handball

Arena

EnergyCentre

Stratford City

Athletes’Village

Central Concourse

C

a

B

iqbal Johal, Editor

Photo front cover | Justin Setterfield for LOCOG (London 2012)

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1 | Plan of the Olympic site a The Velodrome B The Olympic Park C The Athletes' Village

2 | Aerial view of the Olympic site

WastelandtransformedLondon Olympics 2012

When, in July 2005, the iOC president Jacques Rogge made the dramatic announcement that

london had won the campaign to host the 2012 Olympics, it set off a dramatic programme of

planning, building and organising that may well go on until 2013.

the task that lay ahead was in itself one of olympic proportions, the most dramatic of which was turning an

area that had been an industrial wasteland into an olympic park. the project was complicated further by the

banking crisis, funding issues and controversy over designs. to their credit, the organising committee have

taken all of this in their stride and the project has been delivered on time and on budget. the organisation

for the games is a complex web of not just building venues to host 26 sports but housing 14,700 athletes,

accommodating 21,000 media wallahs and creating an enjoyable experience for 10.8 million spectators from

across the world. to achieve all of this, a workforce of around 200,000 will be required by the time the Games

begin.

in our special issue celebrating the olympics, we look at the way galvanized steel has in its own inimitable

way contributed towards the challenge of making the 2012 games the best there has been.Photo | London 2012 (2)

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1 | The balcony railings acquire a lighter appearance with height

Shared communal landscapeOlympic Village

With the world’s attention normally drawn to the high profile

stadia that will host the various events for the Olympic Games,

an important aspect that can sometimes get overlooked is that

of accommodating, in london’s case, over 17,000 athletes and

officials.

London’s olympic Village however was of crucial importance from an

early stage of the planning process. the Village will be used to transform a

formerly deprived part of London and build the foundations on which inward

investment can flow and form an important legacy project of the Games.

the Athletes’ Village will be converted into 2,818 homes, half of which will

form social housing. it is these social ambitions that make the olympic

Village the critical component on which London 2012‘s regeneration legacy

depends. the £1bn development is the biggest housing construction project

a British government has underwritten for decades.

the design team took their cue from the grain and character of London.

three thousand trees have been planted. As well as the residential

accommodation, a whole array of urban amenities have been interwoven

into the masterplan, including public spaces, communal gardens, shops, a

medical centre and a 1,800-student academy.

the Village is split into 11 plots that comprise a total of 67 buildings.

Seven plots have been designed by a single architect while the remaining

four are the product of a combination of architects. the blocks are

interspersed by a series of wide boulevards and public spaces among

which there are two principal squares. A surprising yet refreshing feature

of the designs is the use of generously sized balconies throughout the

development. Attempts have been made to soften the grid and bring the

façades to life by using an interesting palette of colours and materials in

order to reflect the visual diversity of London.

by Iqbal Johal

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panter Hudspith Architects‘ element of this unique project is in a prime

location, fronting onto the main square in the middle of the Village. their

role comprised 123 apartments, 500m2 retail space, a concierge facility for

half of the Athletes’ Village and the podium landscaped courtyard within the

plot.

Design Principles

the design for these three cores introduced a number of key features to

the Athletes’ Village:

double storey panels to reduce the apparent

repetition of units over height

utilising a ‘kit-of-parts’ within the precast mould

to efficiently create variety in the façades

strong primary and gable façade treatments

to articulate the mass of the buildings

recessed corner balconies to create truly habitable

and semi-private external amenity spaces

a strongly varied skyline to integrate the buildings

into the wider long-term masterplan

in conjunction with this sustainability was a very important aspect of the

design criteria. Extensive consultation at early stages with the client to

rethink the original brief resulted in a reconfiguration of the massing to

introduce an extra core, which enabled more than 85% of apartments to be

dual or triple aspect, greatly enhancing their outlook and daylight quality.

Careful analysis of glass proportions, reveal sizes and orientation meant

that the combined passive measures alleviated the potential for overheating

in summer, even using projected 2050 weather data. the roofing details

were studied and have resulted in the extensive use of green/brown roofs

throughout all cores, reinstating the original biodiversity of the site.

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offsite manufacturing was utilised wherever possible to minimise site

wastage and improve standards, notably for the precast façade panels,

balconies, bathroom pods, utility cupboards and metalwork. Any waste

construction material on site was managed and segregated to aid

recycling and reuse. Code for Sustainable Homes level 4 was achieved

and the retail units achieved BREEAM Excellent.

Metalwork

the metal railings to the corner recessed balconies were given a subtle

enrichment through the use of both metal flats and bars. Rather than

the flats being evenly spaced, as would normally result from structural

analysis, they were randomly interspersed. in addition, the quantity

of flats is considerably greater closer to the ground where increased

privacy is necessary, when the balconies are viewed obliquely. this also

results in the railings acquiring a ‘lighter’ appearance with height. the

balconies were seen to add an important contribution to the design of the

development by providing an important link to the external environment

and private ‘space’ for the permanent residents.

Galvanizing with painting was deemed to offer the best quality finish and

long term durability reinforcing the sustainable credentials that had been

followed throughout the project. the visual nature of the top rail of the

handrails was deemed critical by both the design team and client, refining

the overall perception of the quality of these corner balconies. the top

rails were therefore given a further coating onsite producing a remarkably

consistent and attractive surface.

At level 1, around the shared communal landscape courtyard within

the plot, 250m of vent grills supply air to the parking below. the use

of a galvanized finish produced a very uniform and discrete mid-toned

grey band either side of the pathway that surrounds the courtyard. the

metal railings on the podium deck which line the edges of the townhouse

gardens was procured under the landscaping package. the steel was

galvanizied and powder coated to achieve the required aesthetic and at

podium level, the railings were in-filled with timber to provide privacy. As

such, the nature of the podium railing is very different to the apartment

balconies and the end result produces a very refined, elegant aesthetic

that convincingly conveys the quality message that is synonymous with

the Athletes’ Village.

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2 | Galvanized and powder coated finish produced an uniform, discrete finish for the courtyard metalwork

3 | Open courtyards is a feature of the Olympic Village

4 | Private gardens around the perimeter of the courtyard

5 | Colonnade feature of the upper floors creates an animated sky-line and help to provide large balconies

Architect | Panter Hudspith ArchitectsClient | Olympic Delivery AuthorityPhotos | Panter Hudspith Architects (1,2,4,5),

London 2012 (3)

+ additional pictures

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Undulating and curvaceous

Bikes ridden at speed around a banked arena seem to draw

upon some primeval instinct that engenders a competitive

edge for the riders and an almost uncontrollable zeal amongst

the watching crowd. Maybe there is an intrinsic link within

the human psyche to competition, speed and danger at close

quarters that can be traced from the Circus Maximus in Rome

through to the atmosphere created by the competitions that

take place within velodromes of the modern era.

Fast forward to London 2012 and the competition for the velodrome

design. this represented one of the unique opportunities within the venue

designs. How to cater for a complex geometry that would offer unfettered

sight lines for a seated crowd of 6,000 spectators within a sport that

Great Britain was expected to win a number of gold medals.

by Iqbal Johal

London Velodrome

1 | Dramatic view of the Velodrome in its park setting

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the winning team of Hopkins Architects and Expedition Engineering followed a very simple

design philosophy: that of the spirit of bicycle design - the pursuit of efficiency, lightweight

construction, high performance standards and above all, synergy. “We took an integrated

architectural and engineering approach“, says Mike taylor (Hopkins). “How to do more with

less.“

the end result is a beautifully striking structure that is simple yet complex and sits quite lightly

within its landscape. A doubly curved roof rests on top of an undulating, curvaceous base that

houses the track and the seating areas. the shape of the roof has already earned it the nickname

“the floating pringle”. A “shrink wrap” effect of the roof design helps to wrap the building around

the track minimising the interior volume and in turn reducing heating and cooling requirements.

Early within the design conception a cable net roof support system was seen as the perfect fit

for its form and span. there were however issues that needed to be resolved. typical cable nets

support lightweight fabric structures that work like a tennis racquet - a grid of cables in tension

with a large compression ring at the perimeter to isolate the net‘s tension forces - the Velodrome

cable net is not typical and presented two major challenges:

- a weathertight, insulated roof was needed, to retain the graceful lines of the building

- to dispense with the use of a large perimeter ring beam

this twofold conundrum presented the biggest structural engineering hurdle on the project. the

first challenge was how to connect the rigid roof deck to a flexible cable net structure and allow

for the necessary movement joints. it was decided early in the design process that the cables

would be clamped together by galvanized steel nodes at each intersection and that these nodes

would be used to provide support for the prefabricated timber panels that formed the roof deck.

However, these nodes would move relative to one another by up to 5mm under various load

conditions, so it was not possible to connect the panels rigidly to each node. A clever solution

was eventually adopted that enabled the timber panels to be fixed rigidly to only one node and

allow them to slide via a slotted system on the other support points.

Undulating and curvaceous

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the second challenge involved designing a structure to transfer out

the high cable tension forces from the roof. this would normally be

achieved by having a large ring beam in compression around the

structure. However this would interfere with the “light” touch design

approach. the solution was found by designing the building‘s steel

upper seating bowl and entire structure below to be mobilised in

transferring out the cable forces. this had the positive result of only

a small ring beam structure being needed that allowed a sharp eaves

edge detail.

the net is formed of pairs of 36mm diameter spiral galvanized strand

cables, on a 3.6m grid, and locked together with galvanized forged

steel nodes at each cable intersection. the cables are pre-stressed so

that the roof structure remains stable and in tension under all loading

conditions. the 16km of cables were transported to site and the 1,000

or so nodes clamped to form the net before the whole structure was

lifted to roof level. the entire on-site cable net construction process

took only eight weeks. With the net lifted in place, the prefabricated

timber roof panels were craned into position and the remainder of

the roof added. “the roof has about 100 tonnes of steel in it and the

structure is as light as the team dare go and still get the details to

work“, says Mike taylor.

the Velodrome’s double-cable net roof is the building’s most innovative

feature and forms a key part of its light carbon footprint. initial studies

had shown that a conventional steel roof would be cheaper but the

project contractor commissioned a detailed study to look at cost,

programme and environmental aspects. this explored four options for

the roof: gluam, gluam and cable, all cable and conventional steel.

the study concluded that although the initial costs for the cable

net option were greater there was a 3 month saving off the build

programme - saving £2 million and a saving on the reduced amount of

steel used. Compared with steel arches, the cable net used 27% less

steel. there were also health and safety benefits from reducing the

amount of work at height that would be needed. the final roof weight,

including cables, nodes and ring beam, is a mere 30kg/m2, half that of

the Beijing stadium.

2 | Double-cable net roof - the building's most innovative feature.

3 | Vital galvanized connection node for the cable net roof

4 | Internal panoramic view of the race track and cable net roof

5 | External view of the ’sharp eaves edge detail‘

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Architect | Hopkins ArchitectsClient | Olympic Delivery AuthorityPhotos | London 2012 (1, 4, 5),

Hopkins Architects (2, 3)

+ video + additional

pictures

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1 | Parklands area in the north of the Olympic Park

2 | Park parapet in the landscape

Rejuvenation – large and small interventionsOlympic Park

Situated to the east of london, encompassing four of the most deprived boroughs

of london, the site that has become the Olympic Park started from very humble

beginnings.

the full legacy of centuries of industrial activity on the site became apparent when work started

in 2005. More than five years of work has resulted in its total transformation. it has literally been

scraped clean, power lines that crossed the site have been buried and the completion of the largest

soil-cleansing operation ever undertaken in the UK. the dereliction has gone, and in its place is

a 246ha parkland crossed by new roads and bridges and threaded through with waterways. it is

buzzing with new life including wildlife habitats, trees and plants.

the olympic Delivery Authority appointed a multi-disciplinary team to deliver materplans for the

olympic games that included the creation of the new park. Allies and Morrison Architects formed a

key part of this team. the park works have been split into three tranches - remediation, bridges and

highways, and landscaping - as well as procuring a green ”energy centre”.

Most of the media attention has, quite naturally, concentrated on the major venues, but the

completion of the contaminated land treatment, infrastructure and utilities has provided the

backbone for not only the olympic and paralympic Games but also for the future legacy

development. Some of the figures involved are mind boggling: 30,000 people will have worked on

the park and 6,449 will be working at the park on the busiest day of the games.

by Iqbal Johal

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collaboration between Allies and Morrison, Arup and Atkins. Before work started, the olympic park

site was made up of isolated fragments of land with poor connections between local communities.

the programme to build new structures, bridges and highways will not only provide access during

the Games but will leave an open and accessible area in Legacy.

When the Games are over, 101ha of the site will become the Queen Elizabeth olympic park - the

largest new urban park in the UK for over a century. the southern section will become a “festival“

park, with riverside gardens, wildflower display meadows and walking and cycle paths along

restored and previously inaccessible waterways. the northern section uses green techniques to

manage flood and rainwater, and will provide quieter public space and habitats for existing and rare

species, from kingfishers to otters.

Within this area, a former landfill site has been remediated to create a wetland bowl with 15,000m2

of riverside spectator lawns, timber seating, frog ponds, loggeries, wetlands, woodlands, tree-lined

footpaths and the largest man-made wet woodland in the UK. the park will boast 4,000 new

semi-mature trees, over 2,000 of which have been grown in Hampshire and already planted.

Park parapet

Amongst all of the major works small interventions have in their own way made an important

contribution to the overall project. Allies and Morrison have alongside their overarching masterplan

contributed to the design and implementation of some of these smaller works.

the design principle for the typical footbridge parapet was developed and ultimately used

extensively across the park. the intent was to create a visually lightweight but robust parapet that

could effortlessly approach and cross bridges, traverse the landscape, define and protect edges

and transform as particular conditions or design standards demand. the process for the design and

implementation of the parapets underwent a rigorous design scrutiny from first principles to fulfil the

criteria for the numerous approving authorities.

in order to maximise off-site fabrication a component approach was adopted. Geometries and

spacing were standardised where possible and a materials hierarchy established to complement the

park landscape. this included galvanized steel to provide the required durability alongside stainless

steel sections to fulfil requirements of design adaptability. the elements of the parapet (post, leaner,

cycle rail, infill mesh) are provided (or removed) as the site conditions dictate. provision has been

made for integrating LED lighting. Around 8 linear kilometres of this bespoke parapet will have been

installed across the olympic park.

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Construction Bridges

A key theme of the 2012 olympics is that of sustainability. Every aspect

has been studied to maximise use or reuse of structures and materials

both for the Games and in Legacy. A prime example of this is the reuse

of at least two galvanized steel construction bridges. these were initially

built for access for plant and equipment but will now be used for the road

race cycle circuit as part of the Legacy Velopark.

one of these bridges will actually be used three times: it has already

been used as a construction bridge, it has been adapted and widened

as a temporary crossing over Stratford High Street for pedestrians

travelling to the Games from the Greenway, and once the Games have

finished, it will be moved up the river Lea and adapted again and form

part of the Legacy road race bridges.

3 | Construction bridge to be retained and adopted for the Legacy cycle road racing circuit

4 | Image of construction bridge in Legacy mode

5 | Construction bridge used as a temporary bridge over Stratford High Street

6 | Park parapet on bridge

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Architect | Allies and Morrison ArchitectsClient | Olympic Delivery AuthorityPhotos | London 2012 (1), Atkins (3),

Allies and Morrison Architects (2,4-6)

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+ additional pictures

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1 | Plan showing cable tunnel route

2 | Cable tunnel steel supports that run throughout the tunnel network

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Client | Olympic Delivery AuthorityPhotos | London 2012

Going undergroundLea Valley Cable Tunnels

at first sight, a project that involves rerouting power lines may seem

insignificant or even described as a bit boring. However, the complex and

challenging project to move two sets of existing power lines from pylons into

tunnels was fundamental to the Olympic Park site. (Without the removal of

these power lines that went through the centre of the planned Olympic park the

development of the rest of the venues could literally not get off the ground.)

the bare bones of the project included the creation of 10 shafts, 13 km of tunnels, over

200km of cabling and the removal of 52 existing overhead pylons adding up to a project

cost of £250 million. Significant hurdles had to be overcome from the outset: difficult ground

conditions, approval from a plethora of landowners, river crossings and utility approvals, and

a very challenging deadline of three and a half years (half the industry norm). Extensive off-

site trials were conducted in tunnel mock-up environments to develop both cable installation

and jointing techniques.

the tunnelling and shaft work were completed by August 2007 - 13km in 13 months. Laying

of the cables proved to be just as challenging. the innovative design of cable rollers and use

of bespoke tunnel vehicles for plant and materials transportation allowed up to three cable

lengths totalling 2400m to be pulled through the tunnel at any one time. Cable lengths for

the 400 kV cables were such that the joint bays were spaced at 800m centres. Hundreds

of metres of galvanized cable support systems have been used throughout the tunnels to

ensure that no costly maintenance is needed for these systems.

the power was switched underground during August 2008, allowing work to remove the

overhead pylons and overhead lines to begin in September 2008.

the careful planning, collaboration and innovation used by the project team set a benchmark

for world-class delivery of high-voltage cable tunnels.

by Iqbal Johal

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Studio East Dining

Studio East Dining was a temporary pavilion, designed by Carmody

Groarke, built on top of an eight-storey car park adjacent to the

olympic site. the structure was made entirely out of standard

galvanized scaffolding poles taken from the site and wrapped in

an industrial-grade polythene membrane. the pavilion design took

into account the very short life span of the restaurant and the need

for it to return to a construction site. the individual and intimate

dining spaces within the structure and angular form of the pavilion's

roof is generated by the various directions that each of the dining

rooms point, framing breathtaking panoramic views and creating

a spectacular silhouette against the backdrop of the London 2012

olympic site. Photos | Luke Hayes

Galvanizing Delight

+ additional pictures