Within the context of the approaching 2012 Olympic Games in London, this design proposal addresses the impact which the global scale of the Olympics phenomenon can make within the local scale of a community.

Olympic sports facilities are generally designed to fulfill a very particular time-specific function. Beyond this these facilities can often become difficult to sustain, white elephants. Sports facilities can however make a lasting contribution to local communities and can make a significant environmental impact locally and globally.

Hackney in East London is an eclectic area which has been developed over many generations for many different purposes. It has developed, deteriorated, re-developed, adapted, changed and rebuilt itself again.

Following our design, the proposed stadium would suit the needs of the specific event but also the long term needs of the people of Hackney, and to a wider extent all Londoners. After the games the stadium would transform itself into a civic space where people, culture, sport and leisure would meet to generate a social and economic focus currently lacking within the immediate area. The stadium design is driven by the dual concept of Street and Amphitheatre. The Street, located beneath the rib structure, brings the experience of the everyday life of Hackney inside the stadium. In legacy mode the street provides facilities which the area desperately needs. It will offer a social focus, a place where people come to mix, have a drink, shop and enjoy and the activities it generates will encourage safe and healthy development in the area. The Amphitheatre is the internal area of the stadium. While it will work independently as a venue for live events, audiences will mix with local people enjoying the Street.