Olympic spinning athletes ride under world-class screen

The London 2012 Olympic Games gave Great Britain a chance to celebrate with the world. Now a tensile fabric specialist, Base Structures, Bristol, England, has permission to display an Olympic portfolio with temporary Olympic structures developed from 2009 to the opening day in 2012. The company earned £4.4 million for developing four major venues, including a permeable mesh “collar” around the upper tier of the Velodrome.

While world-class track racers spin around an indoor bicycle track with two straights and two banked curves, spectators in the upper deck watch the action under a velodrome-shaped air-permeable mesh screen. Designed to hide the air management ducts and provide fall protection for the seating units, the screen echoes the graceful curves of the track, dressing up the venue. Base Structures chose Ferrarri 392 phthalate-free PVC-coated polyester mesh for the screen. Panels are held in place by extruded aluminum tracks and stainless steel cables connected to structural steel and pre-cast concrete seating. For all of its London Olympic structures, (including the basketball arena, the largest single temporary structure ever used at an Olympic games), Base Structures used 85,000 square meters of fabric.