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London 2012’s Velodrome has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award.
The 6,000-seat venue will host the Olympic and Paralympic track cycling events in 2012. After the Games, the legacy Velodrome will be used by elite athletes, local and wider communities and will include a café, bike-hire and cycle workshop facilities.
The Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award, which has run for ten years, recognises new buildings, places and spaces that improve the delivery of public services, give a sense of identity and community, are a source of local pride, and help build a sustainable future. It forms part of the British Construction Industry Awards and is sponsored jointly by the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Judges picked the Velodrome out of a list of 27 projects from across the UK, including the Olympic Stadium and the Central Park Bridge that spans spans over the River Lea between the Stadium and Aquatics Centre.
The Velodrome was the first Olympic Park venue completed by the Olympic Delivery Authority. The venue design team is made up of Hopkins Architects, Expedition Engineering, and BDSP. The Velodrome was built by contractor ISG.
ODA Chairman John Armitt said: “This is a tremendous achievement for a venue that combines innovative architecture, engineering and construction into a stunning and sustainable building.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "Not only does the Velodrome represent a fantastic investment in sport, it’s a world class achievement in British architecture and design. Its distinctive sweeping roof is already a new icon for London which has transformed the landscape of Stratford."
Shaun Dawson, chief executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which will own and run the Velodrome after the Games said: "The Velodrome team have created an inspirational, stunning venue and it is truly fitting that their work has been recognised.
"The Park Authority has been involved since the project was conceived as part of the Olympic bid process and the Velodrome is everything we hoped and planned it would be. It’ll be a proud moment to see the Olympic events take place but, equally, it will be hugely satisfying to see the Velodrome and the whole Lee Valley VeloPark working in legacy with the Velodrome, BMX circuit, road and mountain bike trails being used by thousands of cyclists."
