New concept designs for a key piece of utilities infrastructure in the Olympic Park have been unveiled by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) along with new photos showing the progress being made in constructing the new utilities networks.

Concept designs have been unveiled for a pumping station to be built in the south of the Olympic Park that will collect, convey and discharge foul waste from the main venues and buildings in the Olympic Park in Games-time, and from the legacy venues and residential developments after 2012. The pumping station is being built by Barhale Construction and a planning application has now been submitted which includes early design images by John Lyall Architects.

The designs for the pumping station show a circular building to reflect the engineering used in the sewer shafts beneath the ground. The circular shaft structure will rise out of the ground to form the outer shell of the pumping station building with images applied to the exterior of the building to depict the history of the London sewer network and its Victorian origins. There are also plans to include a green roof on the pumping station building to help enhance the ecological value and biodiversity of the Olympic Park site by attracting local wildlife.


New photos have also been released showing construction work on the pumping station where work is well underway to construct the foundations for the building and build a 12.5m wide shaft beneath the ground. The shaft will connect the pumping station to 1.8km of foul sewer tunnels which have now started to be constructed throughout the Olympic Park.

ODA Director of Infrastructure and Utilities Simon Wright, said: "Design excellence runs through the heart of the project, and the early designs in place for the pumping station show that we can use innovative architecture in functional buildings in the Olympic Park, not just the world-class sporting venues we are building.

"With work on the foundations of the pumping station well underway and tunnelling work now starting on the sewer networks, we are firmly on track to deliver a backbone of new utilities infrastructure for the Olympic Park."

The pumping station and foul sewer networks will be operational by the end of 2009.

(CD/JM)