Beijing ‘Flying Saucer’ firm designs Glasgow’s Chris Hoy Velodrome for 2014 Games

Schuermann Architects – one of the best velodrome designers in the world, were responsible for the phenomenally successful stadium for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 – nicknamed the Flying Saucer. The company is already designing the new major Chris Hoy Velodrome for Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Because cyclists at Beijing said the velodrome there would have been even better if it had been a little steeper, that’s being done for Glasgow.

Schuermanns are also designing the velodrome for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi but say that the ground there is still untouched. Evidently, if it is to be ready in time, work will have to start immediately. On this point Ralph Shuermann is very complimentary about Glasgow’s organisation.

Design in all but complete for the stadium here. Glasgow has taken expert advice and gone for a composite style of stadium in a context where tracks tend to be either fat or thin.

Work is now about to go into the nitty gritty of specifying the detail on construction. Tenders for the main construction are to go out in mid-February 2009 with completion required in late 2011.

Ralph Shuermann says that it will be a really high performance track. In designing it they not only took account of the comments of the cyclists at the Beijing stadium but they looked at Chris Hoy’s own speed. The tighter the bends the greater the centrifugal force – which can go to as much as three or four times gravity.

Apart from a great stadium for the 2014 Games, Glasgow will be left with a superb modern velodrome capable of breeding new generations of top competitive track racers – as well as supporting cyling as a leisure pursuit.

Shuermann Acrhitects has built a track in Geneva that’s full every day – office workers go for an hour’s cycling instead of an hour’s squash. In Germany it has long been a serious sport and a major leisure activity. Berlin is about to celebrate 100 years of six-day racing in an event with 75,000 spectators – which Shuermann describes as ‘Plenty of people, plenty beer’.

Part of what the company are doing is looking at a cycling infrastructure for Scotland. They are suggesting a smaller 200m track in Aberdeen which they see as feeding cyclsts to the big track in Glasgow and the system then feeding into the national velodrome in Manchester.

The photograph of Chris Hoy above is by Nick J Webb and is used under the Creative Commos licence.