altApril 17 - Building work on the foundations of the London 2012 media centre has started a month early, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced today as the capital gears up for another inspection visit next week.

 

As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Co-ordination Commission begins a three-day visit next week to monitor London's prograess ODA chief executive David Higgins said work on the big five Olympic Park venues is "right on track".

 

Work has started sinking 2,100 concrete piles up to 24 metre into the ground to form the foundations of the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and Main Press Centre (MPC) which will create just under 900,000 sq ft of business space in legacy with the potential to generate thousands of new jobs.

 

 Higgins said: “The ‘big build’ is right on track as we make steady progress on the venues and infrastructure needed both for the London 2012 Games and the regeneration of this part of east London.

 

“The Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre and Olympic Village are already taking shape against the skyline and building started earlier this year on the Velodrome.

 

"With the start of construction of the IBC/MPC all of the ‘big five’ venues on the Olympic Park are now underway.

 

“The IBC/MPC will provide a quality working environment for media during the Games while delivering flexible employment space for a range of potential legacy tenants and users.”

 

The IBC/MPC will support around 20,000 broadcasters, photographers and journalists communicating the Games to an audience of four billion people worldwide.

 

This summer work will start on the steel frame of the IBC, which is 275m long, 104m wide, 21m tall and big enough to house five jumbo jets.

 

Over 4,500 tonnes of steel with trusses up to 24m long are being produced and fabricated for the IBC in Dalton , North Yorkshire . Work is also underway on the media transport mall and the foundations of the MPC are due to start this month.

 

Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, said: “This is a significant step towards the provision of the best possible working environment and technology for the 20,000 members of the world’s broadcasters, press and photographers in the summer of 2012.

 

"Millions of people around the world rely on the international media to relay the stories of human endeavour on the field of play.

 

"The impressive facilities we have planned will give us the best possible foundations for telling all the stories from the London 2012 Games whilst leaving high performance workspace for the east of London."

 

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: “Construction of the Olympic site continues to make excellent progress and with work on the media centre now underway the Park is really starting to take shape.

 

"The media centre will provide top quality facilities for the thousands of press who will be in London during the Olympic and Paralympic Games beaming the story of the 2012 Games across the world.

 

"After the Games the media centre will be an exciting new office space with state-of-the-art digital technology, providing a unique opportunity for those looking to be part of the new urban park that will be created in legacy."

 

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "This is further proof that progress on the site is well on schedule thanks to the world class team that is building London 's 2012 venues.

 

"After the Games the development of a new creative quarter in Hackney around these facilities and the infrastructure that supports them will deliver many new jobs and new opportunities for East London "

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