The London 2012 Olympic Stadium: Part 1: Concept and Philosophy

This paper describes the reasons behind the development of the Brief and the resulting design concept that offers a new paradigm for Olympic Stadia: one that delivers a powerful image of the Olympic and Paralympic Games while addressing the innovative use of permanent and temporary forms. A major section of this paper describes the successful delivery of the sustainability goals of the stadium project. Two companion papers present “The Detailed Design and Construction of the Seating Bowl and Civil Works” and “The Detailed Design and Construction of the Roof” [1,2]