Olympic Stadium Wrap Around Now Sponsored By Dow

The wrap around the London 2012 Olympic Stadium will now be sponsored by Dow Chemical worth a whopping $11 million.

Dow will create a sustainable, fabric wrap that will encircle the Stratford based Stadium during the Olympic and Paralympic games.

The wrap will be 25 metres high and 2.5 metres wide and will consist of 336 individual panels. The intention of the wrap is to provide a colurful backdrop for the Olympic Park enticing crowds.

The installation is due to be completed by spring 2012.

“The Stadium will look spectacular at Games time and having the wrap is the icing on the cake,” said Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012.

“I’m delighted that Dow as one of the newer worldwide partners of the Olympic Movement will be providing it and importantly doing it in a sustainable way.

“It reflects our vision and is a real statement of intent from Dow about their commitment to the Games.”

The Government and Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) had originally scraped plans for the wrap design last October after they were told to find $32 million of savings in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

The decision  was criticised by a number of high-profile individuals including one of the senior architects behind the stadium, Rod Sheard, who said the limited cost benefits would be outweighed by the diminishing of the Stadium’s image and wind protection.

There was still interest in the wrap with several companies coming forward even though there will be no branding on the wrap.

The wrap, which will include resins made by Dow’s Performance Plastics Division and will require fewer raw materials to manufacture, will be recycled after the Games. 

It will be up to 35% lighter and have a lower carbon footprint when compared to conventional materials, London 2012 claim.

Other sustainable elements of the wrap include UV-curable inks replacing conventional inks to reduce emissions during the printing process and eliminate volatile organic compounds (VOC).