|
Basketball Arena
Hosting: Basketball, handball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby
Schedule:
Basketball: July 28 – Aug 7
Handball: Aug 8 – Aug 12
Wheelchair basketball: Aug 30 - Sep 8
Capacity: 12,000
Fact: to accommodate the size of the athletes, all doors in the venue are required to be at least 2.4 metres high.
Post games: materials will be reused and recycled.
Test event: Aug 16-21, 2011: Basketball, International Invitational (men's), April 18-19, 2012: Wheelchair rugby, International Invitational, May 5-7, 2012: Boccia, International Invitational
Transport: Stratford (DLR, Tube, National Rail) West Ham (Tube, National Rail)
The Basketball Arena is one of the most versatile to be used at the games – hosting basketball and handball amongst others – as well as being one of the largest.
But with versatility comes challenges. During the Olympics, organisers will have just 22 hours to turn the venue from a basketball venue, to one suitable for handball. Once the Paralympics begins there will be an even shorter period – only 12 hours – to transform the Arena from wheelchair basketball to wheelchair rugby.
Designed by a multidisciplinary team consisting of Sinclair Knight Merz, Wilkinson Eyre and KSS Design Group, at an estimated cost of £42 million, the 12,000 capacity venue is only temporary and will be dismantled after the Games.
However, two-thirds of the materials and elements have the potential to be recycled or reused, allowing other parts of the UK to benefit from the project.
