Olympic site opens with signage by Westmorland

The roll-out of the UK’s 2012 Olympic training sites has begun, with the opening of the £16m Lee Valley Athletics Centre, featuring signage and wayfinding by Westmorland Signs International.

The centre, designed by David Morley Architects, will sit at the heart of the 2012 Olympic Games. It is reported to be the largest indoor and outdoor athletics centre serving London and the South of England and it houses the only indoor 200m track in the region.

According to a statement from the centre, it makes maximum use of natural light and ventilation, thereby saving energy and creating optimum training conditions for athletes.

Cumbria-based Westmorland Signs International was appointed to the signage and wayfinding business for the site four weeks ago, after a tender against about six other consultancies.

The consultancy will roll out a system, yet to be fully implemented, which aims to set a new standard for this type of sports stadium project.

The internal directory will offer information and visual aspects. It will feature very large structures called totems, which are mounted in the ground at the entrance and approach to the site.

Externally, a sign displaying the name of the building has been applied by the consultancy, while many of the structures are still at the design stage.

Westmorland was unable to comment on details of the project and a completion date for the system has not yet been announced.

However, London-based Doric Signs has confirmed that it has worked with Lee Valley Athletics Centre to manufacture its external wayfinding signage, which covers the pathways around the site.

The signage systems will complement the centre itself, which houses a 130m sprint straight, permanent seating for 500 spectators, and full indoor jumps and throws facilities.

Additionally, it features specialist areas for the delivery of sport science and medical support services by the English Institute of Sport.

Lee Valley Athletics Centre is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Sport England Lottery funding, and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. Culture Secretary and Olympic minister Tessa Jowell officially opened the site last week.

The centre will host the semi-final of the Indoor City Challenge on 28 January, Jumps International match between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Netherlands on 21 February, and the British Masters Championships in March.

Separately, London 2012 organisers announced at the beginning of this month that they will not launch design tenders until after the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

After the Beijing Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games will begin its procurement processes for design and print material.

LEE VALLEY ATHLETICS CENTRE

• Lee Valley Athletics Centre is the first Olympic training centre to open in London ahead of 2012
• Unique wayfinding and signage is by Cumbria-based Westmorland Signs International
• Centre designed by David Morley Architects
• External pathway directional signage by Doric Signs