Hopkins and Partners. Velodrome, London 2012 Olympics. photo: Alex Sturrock
The velodrome, by Hopkins and Partners, is a hyperbolic paraboloid, the same roof shape as the Saddledome. This one is flatter and the supporting walls are wood panels that fit between the cables. The wood is meant to echo the wood cycle track, but it gives it a lightness that floats slightly above the ground. It is this lightness that perhaps concentrates the activitiy within: a suspension of time and belief at the performances that happen at Olympics.