London's iconic Olympic Stadium transformed

Balfour Beatty, working with Populous, Buro Happold and the London Legacy Development Corporation, have redesigned the iconic stadium, originally built to host London’s 2012 games.

The new-look stadium, now home to Premier League football team West Ham United FC, will have a reduced capacity of 54,000 on match days, but could still hold up to 80,000 spectators for athletics events and rock concerts.

In line with the constructors’ commitment to sustainability, the work included the reuse of 19,000 tonnes of recycled demolition material, as well as 6,000 m of cable, 3,800 lights and 1,000 mechanical and electrical components.

Over the course of the regeneration project, Balfour Beatty also created 50 local apprenticeships and more than 300 training opportunities.

At one point, the project employed over 1700 people, and work on the project clocked up a total of 3.4 million man hours.

As part of the complex re-engineering of the building, the world’s largest gravity-supported cantilever roof was fitted, as well as a flexible seating system with retractable lower tier, allowing spectators to get closer to the on-the-field action.

Stephen Tarr, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Major Projects business said, “From the very beginning we were focused on continuing the legacy of this historic venue, transforming it from its original use of a single-purpose venue to a multi-functional world class venue providing numerous opportunities and uses for generations to come.

“We have utilised some of the most complex engineering techniques on this project, capitalising on our in-house capabilities and expertise to ensure the project was delivered safely to a high specification whilst boosting the local economy through employment opportunities; it’s a project we are all immensely proud of.”