a wonder in wood the Olympic Velodrome

With the Olympic opening ceremony only hours away I can't let the moment go without a mention of my personal favourite Olympic bulding the Velodrome.

Built on time and within budget by Hopkins Architects, the Velodrome is a stunning example of both building green and building with wood. From the elegance of the subtle curve of its exterior walls, clad in 5,000 square Meters of Western Red Cedar, to it's vast interior, which spare in construction, offers unrestricted views of all the action.

A team of 26 specialist carpenters led by designer Ron Webb, took only eight weeks to install the vast cycle track. Constructed using Siberian Pine grown in the permafrost of the north Russian wilderness. This timber grows straight and strong, yet is very malleable. The Pine was left for months to acclimatise in the venue before being laid with millimetre precision onto 356 trusses using 36,000 nails. Siberian Pine is reputed to produce the fastest surface, so we should see some records broken. 

Made from sustainabley sourced timber, the Velodrome is its own torch to just how we can be useing timber in major construction projects.

And best of luck to whichever flag you will be rooting for.