With the Commonwealth Games just around the corner, we’re looking at the construction work that’s gone into making the games happen in Birmingham this month!
A brand new stand in the Alexander Stadium has been created, which is set to seat 30,000 spectators. This cost around £72 million and holds around 1400 tonnes of steelwork.
This will not only be beneficial for the influx of visitors during this year’s Games, but also gives Birmingham the chance to have the “national stadium for athletics” beyond the event.
The aquatics centre in Sandwell has also been expanded, going from 1000 capacity to 5000 for the event.
The site that was originally earmarked for the Athletes Village has also got new plans for the space – instead, a new shipping container park will be developed.
Similar to the likes of Boxpark in London, the park in Perry Barr will see big screens for sporting events and movies, as well as a children’s playground, marketing suite and external stage with a max capacity of 1500 people.
The container park will eventually be replaced by permanent housing, as part of the Perry Barr 2040 masterplan, with a vision of over 5000 new houses by this time.
What is most striking about the construction for the Commonwealth Games is its longevity – facilities aren’t set to be left behind after the event, and will all play a big part in the regeneration of Birmingham and leaving a lasting legacy for the Games.
This isn’t an entirely new approach – developers visited the sites of the London 2012 Olympics and former Commonwealth Games hosts Glasgow and Manchester to take inspiration from how they kept up the legacy of the events.
To find out more about other projects that have had a big impact both here in the UK and worldwide, check out the TRIQS Consulting social media.