Balfour Beatty faces Aquatics centre upheaval

Design changes to the £308m Olympic Aquatics centre could be forced on contractor Balfour Beatty at the last minute.

Olympic officials expect changes will be made to the Zaha Hadid-designed venue at least up to six months before it is officially signed-off for use.

At the heart of expected revisions will be temporary seating for up to 18,000 spectators and details of roofing materials.

Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman John Armitt said that while the overall design of the venue was fixed, timescales had made it difficult to nail down some details.

He said Balfour Beatty was expected to work with designers over the next two years to iron out any issues.

He added: "You go with design-and -build contracts so that you can design as you build."

The design team is currently considering different types of timber cladding for the internal ceiling, after concerns were raised that timber used could warp in the moist conditions.

Work on the venue's foundations started last week as the ODA announced it had met seven of its 10 milestones outlined for completion before the Beijing Games. It also set out its targets for the next year (see panel).

Armitt said a major setback had been Bovis Lend Lease's problems attracting finance to build the £1bn Olympic village, with negotiations still ongoing. He said: "The fundamental issue is that the banking community is reluctant to lend to the degree it was six months ago.

"We are funding it pending agreement of a final package and we expect it will be finalised before Christmas."

How the Aquatics centre is expected to look on completion.

Milestones to 27 July 2009

• Work to start on the stadium's upper seating and roof.
• Foundations finished on the Aquatics centre.
• All overhead electricity pylons to be removed.
• Kings Yard substation to be substantially complete.
• Building started on most Olympic village plots.