Planning granted for Olympics 'big build'
The ‘big build’ of the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and Main Press Centre (MPC) for the London 2012 Olympics is on track as plans were approved by the Olympic Park Planning Committee last night. Under an earlier approval work on the foundations is already well underway, with piling now 90 per cent complete, and the buildings will start coming out of the ground shortly.
The IBC/MPC will support 20,000 broadcasters, photographers and journalists communicating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to an audience of approximately four billion people worldwide. In legacy the facilities will create just under 900,000 sq ft of business space with the potential to generate thousands of new jobs.
Following detailed consultations the original design was refined with a stronger colour utilisation for the cladding on both buildings and a visual breaking up of the buildings into sections. Elected Mayor of Hackney, Jules Pipe, said:
"We are pleased improvements have been made to the design of the IBC which enables the building to be more flexible for its legacy use. We welcome the ongoing commitment to refining the MPC design and finish to ensure a building of quality that can become the home for creative industries in legacy."
Work started a month early in April on the foundations of the IBC/MPC, which already had planning approval. Over 2200 concrete piles, 90 per cent of the total planned, have already been sunk up to 24 metres into the ground. In the coming weeks work will start on the 275m long, 104m wide, 21m tall steel frame of the huge IBC studio building, which is big enough to house five jumbo jets. Over 4,500 tonnes of steel with up to 24m long plate girders are being produced and fabricated for the IBC in Dalton, North Yorkshire.
Source: Worldarchitecturenews
