Sir Robert McAlpine to build Olympic stadium

The Olympic Delivery Authority is poised to appoint a Sir Robert McAlpine consortium to design and build the stadium for the 2012 Games. The group is the only contender that met all of the ODA’s prequalification criteria.

The Team McAlpine group also comprises architect HOK Sport and engineers teams Buro Happold and M-E Engineering.

The ODA said was negotiating with the consortium with a view to appointing it in the new year.

David Higgins, chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, said: “We are entering negotiations with a world class consortium in Team McAlpine and I am confident they will conclude successfully in the New Year. As you would expect, we have robust contingency plans in place should negotiations with Team McAlpine not conclude. We will also be putting in place appropriate cost controls to ensure that budgets are managed properly and that value for money is achieved.”

The brief for the stadium is to create a 80,000 seat facility to host track and field events and the opening and closing ceremonies for the Games. After the Games it will reduce in size.

Sir Robert McAlpine built the new Arsenal Stadium