Summary 52012 79summaryThemeOlympic GamesSustainability and post-Olympic use werethe spearheads in the huge design challengefacing the organisation of the Olympic andParalympic 2012 Summer Games. Manycubic metres of concrete were needed inorder to execute all the facilities and infra-structure.The impact of the 17 days of the Games(pp. 4 9)On 5 July 2005 in Singapore Jacques Rogge,President of the International OlympicCommittee, announced that the thirtiethOlympic and Paralympic Summer Games in2012 would be held in London. During theperiod of only seven years that has passedbetween then and the opening ceremony,one of the most desolate and neglectedareas in Europe has been transformed into aspectacular theatre for the world's greatestsporting event. But what will happen to thislocation after these seventeen days?Smart combination of temporary andpermanent (pp. 10 15)It almost goes without saying that theOlympic Stadium is one of the mostimportant eye-catchers of the OlympicGames. It will host the track and fieldcompetition as well as the prestigiousopening and closing ceremonies. It has beendesigned so that it can be converted afterthe Games into a significantly smallerathletics stadium. The innovative use ofpermanent and temporary structuresenables the capacity of 80,000 seats duringthe Games to be reduced to 25,000thereafter. This is possible thanks to apermanent concrete basin below grade witha removable ring above it.Wavy icon for the Games (pp. 16 22)The Aquatics Centre, the swimming stadiumof the 2012 Olympic Games in London, isstriking because of its wavy roof, which has anarea of 11,000 m2and is supported at onlythree points.Temporary stands increase thespectator capacity during the Games from2,500 to 17,500.The design of the foundationswas testing because of the high loads,subsidence requirements and the presence oftunnels. Over 150,000 tonnes of concrete werepoured. A significant reduction in the CO2(embodied CO2) emitted during constructionwas achieved by maximising the concretegranulate percentage, up to 76% in places,and by using only blast furnace cement with aminimum slag content of 40%.Velodrome a top performer in many ways(pp. 24 30)The track cycling races during the Olympicand Paralympic Games in London take placein the Velodrome, which can seat 6,000. Thisarena, in the northern part of the OlympicPark in Stratford, is one of the permanentamenities. The facilities in the Veloparkaround the indoor track include a BMXcourse, mountain bike routes and a roadracing circuit. School pupils, students, sportsenthusiasts and athletes will be able to usethese amenities after the 2012 Games. Thedesign is geared to optimal volumes for bothspectators and competitors. The dimensionsof the structure and service systems werekept as small as possible. The result is aninnovative design with such features as acable network roof.Mega infrastructure project (pp. 32 37)The estimated cost of the project for theOlympic Park's structures, bridges and roads isGBP 673 million.This makes it one of thebiggest projects for the 2012 London Olympicand Paralympic Games. It involves 29 bridgesand underpasses, 20 kilometres of motorway,16 kilometres of security fencing,11 kilometres of retaining walls and the layoutof 24 supporting areas that will be used duringthe Games.The designs had to meet stringentaesthetic requirements, have an innovativecharacter and be made of unconventionalmaterials. And all this had to be done within atight construction schedule. In view of thepresence of various contractors, efficientmanagement of the logistics on theconstruction site was essential for safe andeffective completion.Sustainable concrete at the Olympic Park(pp. 38 42)A huge amount of construction is part andparcel of an event like the Olympic Games.The initial estimate of the quantity ofconcrete that would be needed at theOlympic Park in London was 500,000 m3. Thismeant that at least a million tonnes ofaggregate would be needed. Reducing theenvironmental impact resulting from the useof concrete was an important spearhead forthe Olympic Delivery Authority, theorganization's contracting party. The upshotof a tight construction schedule, theimportance of reliable concrete deliveries andthe opportunity to maximise the contributionto sustainability was the decision to build onesingle concrete batching and mixing plant inthe Park that had to supply all the projectsinside it.Outside the themeClever, and affordable (pp. 52 55)The H?user Award 2012 for the best single-family dwelling in Europe has been won bythe Pitch House from architect I?aquiCarnicero. This ingenious semi-detachedhome can be converted into a single-familydwelling. Although the specifications of bothare identical, the floorplans are notcompletely symmetrical. The panel of judgeswas very impressed by this, the very lowbuilding costs per m2- which certainly donot harm to the spatial quality - and lowenergy consumption thanks to the use ofconcrete as a thermal buffer.Ribbed and glued sections (pp. 56 60)The BAM-HSM construction consortium hasbuilt a new cycling link between Spijkenisseand the A15 motorway for the Province ofSouth Holland - the Hartel cycle bridge. Thenew bridge has an overall length of625 metres and forms a cycling link betweenthe cycle path from Spijkenisse and theHartelkruis junction to the north. Twoprevious articles discussed the design andthe prestressing. This third and last articlereviews the formwork, joints, glue,substructure and monitoring.Resurfacing bridge decks (pp. 62 65)A variety of bridge structures on Dutchmotorways are having to be modified tocope with the increased loads as a result ofthe growing number of heavy vehicles. Thisis being done on the one hand by applyingconcrete resurfacing to the bridge deck andon the other by improving existing bridgestructures. This article describes theconcrete-related measures that were takento apply concrete resurfacing to theHollandse Brug and the Muiderbrug.Dimension control in super highrise(pp. 66 71)The higher the building, the greater thedeformations and therefore theconsequences for the accuracy ofdimensions. Dimension control in superhigh-rise was investigated in a final degreeproject at Eindhoven University ofTechnology. The investigation wasconducted over the course of a year duringthe construction of The Shard in London, thehighest building in the European Union.If things go wrong... (pp. 72 78)A beam with the floor above it collapsedduring construction of an office block. It isnot clear whether it was due to a designerror or a mistake during execution. Therewas a great deal of material damage and amajor delay, and two people were seriouslyinjured. Insurance companies were calledand a number of investigations wereinitiated.This is just an example of an accident and itsaftermath. This article looks at the aftermathin detail - insurance, then dispute resolutionand finally criminal prosecution. If you would like a whole article fromCement translated, why not let usarrange it for you? Prices start from 100per page (actual price on request).We can supply either bare text or aprofessionally laid out article. For moreinformation please contact ?neas:0411 65 00 85, lezersservice@aeneas.nl.