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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
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CAREERS IN ENGINEERING PUBLIC PROJECTS
JULIAN ANDREWS, CORBIS, EPA,
The Daily Telegraph
HE THE STADIA SUPREMO
Top views: from left, the Bird’s Nest stadium; the Allianz Arena, Munich; impression of the London 2012 Velodrome cycling park
PAUL WESTBURY, DIRECTOR, BURO HAPPOLD Structural engineer Paul Westbury has worked on some of the world’s key sporting venues, from Arsenal’s Emirates stadium to the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium in Dublin. He now has the ultimate brief for any sports-lover in his field — to work on London’s 2012 Olympic stadium. Esme McAvoy caught up with him: “When you’re a structural engineer, you want to design and build the big stuff. There’s a relationship between the size of the structure and the input of the engineer — you can put up something small without much engineering at all but the real challenge comes with scale. And, when it comes to megastructures, engineers are at the table from the start. During the London Olympics, there will be an 80,000-seat stadium but when they are over, that building won’t be there. It’s designed as two parts — the top is like a giant kit of pieces that bolt together and that sit on top of a more permanent, lower structure. The upper section and roof will lift off and collapse after the Games, leaving a smaller, 25,000-capacity venue. It reflects what the Olympics means for the capital — catalysing regeneration in the Lea Valley in East London. At its peak, as many as 50 engineers will be working on the stadium — it’s a team effort and that’s one of the most satisfying things for for me: working with such a talented group of people. My dream commission? I would have said designing an Olympic Stadium but we’re doing that already!â€
BUILDING FUTURE STARS B
IT’S NOT JUST SPORTS STARS WHO WILL BE PAVING THE WAY TO OLYMPIC GLORY AT THE LONDON 2012 GAMES, REPORTS JANETTE MARSHALL
ritish engineers are the powerhouses behind many of the world’s most famous stadia, including the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing — engineered by UK firm, Arup. This firm was also responsible for the Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 football clubs. The unique ‘pillowed’ façade of that stadium can be lit in the colours of whichever home team is playing. Not content to rest on its laurels, Arup is working on other world-beating stadia, including Valencia FC’s new 75,000 capacity stadium — due to open for the 2009-2010 season — and Singapore’s National Stadium, Premier Park. The latter is a fully integrated hub comprising stadium, an indoor arena, an Olympic-standard aquatic centre and entertainment facilities. And now London’s 2012 Velodrome is set to become a reality thanks to the skills of the UK engineering firm Expedition, which has been working on the concept with Hopkins Architects, landscape architect Grant Associates and environmental engineer BDSP Partnership. Chris Wise, director at Expedition, finds working on designs such as the Velodrome particularly inspiring, especially for a “fledgling†company such as his. “It is very rewarding to work on buildings that make such an impact on public consciousness,†he says. The 6,000-seat Velodrome, which sits within the £80 million
An artist’s impression of the Aquatic Centre at Singapore’s Premier Park; below, Chris Hoy
Chris Hoy said our team presented as though riding on our bikes. We engineers clearly knew about cycling
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VeloPark in East London, has already been nicknamed “the Pringle†by some people because of its distinctive double-curvature roof — 120m at its widest. It will host the indoor track cycling events, and leading track designer Ron Webb’s aim is to furnish it with a track designed to produce the fastest speeds in the world. After 2012, it will continue to be used by elite athletes and the local community, so the design includes a café and a 360 degree concourse level offering fantastic views over the Olympic Park, and out across London. Much thought has gone into reducing the building’s carbon footprint. Natural ventilation, through ventilation grilles in the external wood cladding, is the building’s main cooling strategy,
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for example. Other sustainable engineering techniques ensure that it beats building regulation carbon emission specifications by 15 per cent and water-saving requirements by 40 per cent. Following the Games, a one-mile road cycle circuit and 6km mountain bike course will also be added to the VeloPark. Chris Hoy, the first Briton in 100 years to win three gold medals at the same Olympic Games, says: “I’m hugely impressed with the VeloPark designs which I’m sure will help deliver some world-class performances from athletes in 2012. It could inspire a whole new generation of cycling champions.†Chris Wise, a civil and structural engineer, says: “When people ask what engineers do, I say we are the ones who deal with nature and the natural world. Civil and structural engineers, for instance, work on thermodynamics and design the steel and concrete structure. They deal with everything that weighs more than a man could pick up. The environmental engineers, meanwhile, deal with light, air,
water, power supplies and energy. They strive to minimise energy use and to use renewables to lower environmental impact. Countering climate change is a priority in their work.†He hopes the Velodrome will inspire not just sportsmen and women but a whole new generation of engineers, too. Expedition will provide around 15 civil and structural engineers to work on the project and another 10 to 15 environmental engineers will be drafted in from BDSP Partnership. Building stunning yet functional stadia requires creativity and full immersion in the design project, says Chris Wise. “Chris Hoy, on the jury that looked at the submissions for the 2012 Velodrome, said our team presented as though we were riding in on bikes! We clearly knew enough about cycling to ensure that the athletes were going to get something good.â€
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*** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH *** *** Tunnels of love THE BRITISH ENGINEERS WHO ARE ADORED THE WORLD OVER page 2 From snowboards to iPods THE CAREER THAT MAKES YOUR WORLD WORK page 5 Champions’ league BUILDING THE WORLD’S SPORTS STADIA page 8 PHOTOLIBRARY Engineering CAREERS IN THURSDAY, O
*** II *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN ENGINEERING GOING UNDERGROUND The Daily Telegraph INTO THE DEEP N early 200 years ago, Marc Brunel (father of Isambard Kingdom) revolutionised tunnel construction when building the Thames Tunnel — the first to use
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*** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008 *** *** | V The Daily Telegraph INDUSTRY OVERVIEW CAREERS IN ENGINEERING FROM CREATING HI-TECH SPORTS EQUIPMENT TO DEVELOPING SPACE SATELLITES, AN ENGINEERING DEGREE CAN EQUIP YOU FOR A VARIETY OF CAREER PATHS, SAYS THEA JOURDAN MAKING THE
*** VI *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN ENGINEERING ENTREPRENEURS The Daily Telegraph THE B SHOW STEALING THERE ARE GOOD SUPPORT NETWORKS FOR SMART-THINKING ENGINEERS WHO ARE KEEN TO MAKE THEIR IDEAS CENTRE STAGE, SAYS PENELOPE RANCE ritish engineering h
*** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008 *** *** | VII The Daily Telegraph INNOVATION CAREERS IN ENGINEERING Royal Academy of Engineering. This enables students to have contact with engineers who are established entrepreneurs or those who are developing their own ideas. Attendees ar
*** VIII *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN ENGINEERING PUBLIC PROJECTS JULIAN ANDREWS, CORBIS, EPA, The Daily Telegraph HE THE STADIA SUPREMO Top views: from left, the Bird’s Nest stadium; the Allianz Arena, Munich; impression of the London 2012 Velodrom
