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Structures roundup

The Japanese have cancelled plans to build the $2bn Olympic Stadium designed by Zaha Hadid for the Games in 2020. Hadid’s scheme won an international competition to design the stadium, which was scheduled to be completed in time to host the Rugby World Cup in 2019, and the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. But the public and local architects thought the design was too big for the site and following public pressure Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced, following a meeting with the chairman of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic committee, that plans for the stadium will “start over from zero.”

Osborne has been awarded the contract to redevelop the existing theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in including alterations and refurbishment of the existing theatre together with the addition of a new Recital Hall and glazed lobby at roof level above the theatre. 

The Walkie Talkie, the Desperate Dan of London’s Fenchurch Street, which has burned cars and almost blown pedestrians off their feet, has won Building Design’s Carbuncle Cup awarded to the ugliest building of the last year. Architect was Rafael Vinoly, engineer Halcrow Yolles (now part of CH2M) and contractor Canary Wharf Group, for Land Securities. Infrastructure Intelligence suspects that such is the force of the building’s cartoon personality, it will be of those structures that London will take to its heart long term.

Plans for a major bridge over the Usk to carry Newport’s £1bn M4 Relief Road have been unveiled. The new 440m main span cable-stayed bridge will rank as the second longest bridge structure of its type in Wales and the fourth longest in the UK. It forms part of a 23km new section of motorway between Junctions 23 and 29 south of Newport, crossing the Gwent Levels, River Usk Estuary, Newport Docks, the Llanwern Steelworks site and close to the Docks Way landfill site. Preferred ECI joint venture contractor for the scheme is Costain/Vinci.