Cox Architecture has been selected as part of an international consortium to design and deliver a 3,000 person capacity velodrome for the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
The $51 million project must be completed within 24 months, with an expected finish date of June 2018, to ensure the velodrome is ready when the games start in August.
In comparison, the Queensland Velodrome Cox is designing for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is taking 32 months to complete.
The project was designed as a global collaborative which includes engineering firm Motts MacDonald, dynamic staging and temporary structure specialists ES Global, Indonesian architecture practice BKM and construction company Wika.
To relieve pressure from the construction timeline the design was developed with ‘off the shelf’ and readily available materials and technologies in mind. “The roof technology is based on ES Global’s kit of modular structural parts most commonly used in temporary buildings,” said Richard Coulson, a director of Cox Architecture.
An interior artist impression of the Jakarta velodrome by Cox Architecture.
“The design combines a series of earth berms that contribut to the public arrival sequence,” Coulson said. “The velodrome has a membrane roof and wall cladding above the concourse level, which includes translucent elements to allow natural daylight into the building while allowing the building to be glowing lantern in the evening.”
Sports director at Cox, Alastair Richardson, said the cost constraints of major events is potentially leading to design innovations.
“The spiralling costs of hosting major events such as the Asian Games and the Olympics are leading to the search for affordable design and construction solutions for the venues. “The design of cost effective solutions utilizing pre-manufactured and off the shelf temporary structural solutions will be an important part of providing a sustainable legacy for major events and the cities which host them,” Richardson said.
After the Games, the velodrome will evolve into a multi-purpose sports facility. It will not only be used for cycling, but also court sports including futsal.
Cox has previously designed sports facilities 2006 Asian Games in Doha and the 1998 Games in Bangkok.
