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Olympic Stadium wrap to be repurposed

The Dow Chemical Company has announced that it has formed a partnership with UK charity 'Article 25' and recycling company Axion Recycling to repurpose the iconic fabric wrap that surrounded the London Olympic Stadium. Dow has said its textile wrap panels are slated for recycling and reuse projects in the UK, and shelter solutions for at-risk children in Uganda and Rio.

Dow worked with the Cooley Group, Rainier, Spartech and Shade Worldwide to develop the wrap, which is made up of 306 individual panels – each approximately 25m high x 2.5 wide – stretching from the concourse ground to the upper tier of the stadium. Elastomer technology made it possible for the wrap to achieve a combination of durability, flexibility and fire performance, while meeting LOCOG’s Sustainable Sourcing Code and Temporary Material Guidelines. The total wrap system, including steel cables and fixtures, accounts for <0.5% of the stadium’s total carbon footprint, making it a low carbon solution for enclosing and decorating the structure.

Dow worked with the Building Research Establishment, UK (BRE) to screen and narrow the list of options for the post-Games use of the wrap. In its evaluation, BRE took into account various factors including waste creation, extent of reprocessing required, technical challenge, scale and end of second life use.

In Brazil, Dow and Article 25 are exploring working with the Bola Pra Frente Institute to construct a shaded community area at the organisation’s new facility in the Santa Cruz neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro. The Institute was created in 2000 to help children and teenagers from underprivileged communities through social programmes focused on education, sports, arts and professional training. The same sheltering solution will be used as part of Article 25’s work with Jubilee Action at a vocational training and counseling center for former child soldiers in Uganda. The stadium wrap panels will remain as much in their current shape as possible, keeping the look of the Games that has inspired athletes and spectators around the world. In addition, Dow is working with Manchester-based Axion Recycling to implement additional projects for reuse or recycling of the wrap within the UK.

Article 25 is a UK registered charity and NGO which since 2006 has worked on over 50 construction assignments, from one-off centers for abandoned children to large-scale reconstruction after disasters.

“These projects will build understanding about the importance of the use and reuse of materials in the global community,” says Robin Cross, director of projects and CEO of Article 25. “London won the honour of hosting the Olympics in 2012 by promising to inspire a generation of young people around the world to greater heights of personal and sporting achievement. By using the stadium wrap to build essential community facilities in Uganda and Brazil, we hope to deliver on this international promise and bring part of the London Olympics to some of the most marginalised youngsters in the developing world.”

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