Wembley stadium - steps and public realm
The Olympic Steps and Olympic Way
VolkerFitzpatrick constructed the new Olympic Steps and revitalised the Olympic Way to transform visitors experience navigating to and from Wembley Stadium.
About the project
While a new creative district and residential neighbourhood was being delivered by Quintain in collaboration with Brent Council, VolkerFitzpatrick was responsible for regenerating the Olympic Steps (striking new steps leading up to the stadium) and the Olympic Way (surrounding public realm). These works were designed to reinvigorate the area and combat congestion issues that occurred during events and matches.
With a new width of 40m, The Olympic Steps liberated over 12,150m2 of new public space at ground level – an area bigger than the football pitch inside Wembley Stadium itself (7,245m2).
The works for the Olympic Steps included:
- Removal of the stadium’s existing pedway structure
- Construction of a new, grand set of 48 steps*
- Approx. 4,500m3 of concrete demolished and removed in five days
- 550 tonnes of structural steelwork erected in six days
- Installation of precast concrete, specialist waterproofing, cabling, a stainless steel drainage channel and in situ granite paving
- 36 glass rooflights pre-installed within precast units on ‘Olympic Landing’ at top of steps
- 14 lamp columns
- 60 illuminated handrails
*Note, the wider project included revitalised step-free access with four new high-capacity lifts to enable disabled access into Wembley Stadium.
The works for the Olympic Way included:
- Site clearance and removal of existing columns
- Erection of temporary fencing, lighting and electrical supplies
- Design and installation of piled foundations, including pile caps
- Surface water attenuation system and connection to existing surface water system
- New ducting network to serve LV, communication and security systems
- Road reconstruction
- Visual paving finishes to direct pedestrians
- New paving, lighting, street furniture and landscaping
Project challenges
The area around the stadium was severely constrained as approximately 60,000 people visited during matches and events, leaving only short periods to carry out works.
It was during the construction that the football team Tottenham Hotspur temporarily played their home games at the stadium in 2017/18. The routes to the stadium were designed to provide a 19.5m wide pedestrian walkway along the Olympic Way and managed to enable rapid reinstatement.
Another challenge was managing the installation of new below ground utility infrastructure around existing live known and unknown services and historical structures. Working with Quintain and the design team, VolkerFitzpatrick implemented value engineered solutions to resolve problems around clashes and coordination.
