Architectural success is a terrible beast to tame, especially when it comes to the Olympics. Although one may define success as the reaction to a radical new building design such as Beijing’s Birds Nest, this is only one facet of the problem. Once the big top comes down, and all the sprinters, triple jumpers and bobsledders leave for the next big competition, cities are left holding the bag. For example, Montreal was left with a gigantic debt thanks to their Olympic Stadium, which was so expensive to operate that it was put on moth balls after the games. Save for a few baseball seasons, and the odd monster truck event, officials actually believed that it was cheaper to just to keep the structure vacant and in tact, rather than fully demolish it. This is not an isolated incident, as many other cities have experienced similar blunders, however a solution could be on the horizon.
A new stadium proposed for the 2012 Olympics in London is being touted as the world’s first flat pack stadium. That’s not to say Ikea is now churning out Olympic stadiums. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, as this is coming from the same country responsible for the first temporary hotel built entirely out of shipping containers. Designed to be demountable, the structure would have very few fixed seats, while the remainder could be erected by using scaffolding and new “skin” materials to shelter the structure from the elements. The idea isn’t just a flash in the pan either, as London organizers are already speaking with hopeful candidates for the 2016 Olympics to see if they can get them on board to inherit/purchase the temporary stadium. It may be not as architecturally marvelous, but it could give a competitive edge to many smaller cities bidding against the splurging super centres.
