£58m basketball arena deal is an Olympic gain for Barr

Published on Wednesday 8 July 2009 21:28

GLASGOW-BASED building contractor Barr Construction was yesterday awarded the contract to build the main structure for the basketball arena for the 2012 London Olympics, making it the 30th Scottish firm to win a contract for the Games.

The temporary 12,000-seater stadium will host the preliminary rounds and semi-finals for the Olympic basketball contest and the semi-finals and finals of the handball tournament. The contract is understood to be worth about 58 million.

During the Paralympic Games, seating in the stadium will be reduced to 10,000, with spectators watching the wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby matches.

The arena will be the third-largest venue in the Olympic park and the largest temporary structure ever assembled for an Olympic Games.

Barr will own the arena, which the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) will then rent for the duration of the Games.

Detailed designs are due to be completed in October, with work on the site beginning early next year. The design team for the arena consists of Sinclair Knight Merz, Wilkinson Eyre and KSS Design Group.

Fifteen Scottish businesses have been awarded contracts directly with the ODA while a further 15 Scottish firms have won Games-related work further down the supply chain.

Firms that have already been awarded work include Inverness-based Weldex Offshore, which is supplying cranes for the main stadium, and Glasgow's Euro Pools, which is treating water in the "aquatic centre".

Tessa Jowell, Olympics minister, said: "This contract is yet another excellent example of how the benefits of the Games are spreading way beyond London. Just as Scottish athletes like Chris Hoy are a key part of Team GB, Scottish firms like Barr Construction are playing a key role in building the Olympic park."