Velodrome model by Paul Ryder and Paula Valsamis
Object No. 97/123/3
The Olympic Park site now features a new suburb of over 1,000 residences as well as a new railway line and station, Showground, Olympic sports venues and parklands. With a professional design content even more pervasive than that employed in the development of Canberra, this is one of Australia's most significant and ambitious urban developments. The project is also notable as an exception to the introverted economic and political climate of the late-1990s - both the NSW and Australian governments completed a project conceived by their predecessors in more expansive times. The models are appealing and significant documents of this major urban development. They are also an important record of Sydney's successful bid for the 2000 Olympics. Sydney's Olympics strategy was to present a bid which was technically stronger than its rivals. The emphasis was on better venues at an advanced stage of planning and an athletes village on the same site as the major venues - no other bidder could match this aspect of the bid. As a result, an unusual degree of architectural commitment was made before the bid outcome was known. The results of this commitment were the central element of the bid. David Churches, the architect in charge of design for the Sydney Bid, stated in early 1993 that the designs presented to the International Olympic Committee 'are not so much technical resolutions but concepts which we can use for marketing...nevertheless, there must be sufficient resolution to satisfy everyone that the proposals can work' [Architecture Australia, May/June 1993, p.62]. The models were crucial to this architectural marketing. In his memoir of Sydney's Olympic bid, Rod McGeoch emphasised their importance to the successful campaign: 'The bid office contained superb models of the venues...These models gave the big picture in a way no amount of mapping, photography or computer modelling could rival. The concrete product we were selling centred on the high technical standard of these, the credibility of what was planned or being built and every advantage they offered. Good products cannot be left to sell themselves'. The models are thus not only a record of the Bid but an element in its success. Since the success of the Sydney bid in September 1993, design and planning of the Olympic venues saw substantial changes. Of the seven models, only the Velodrome, elements of the Olympic Village and Olympic Park are accurate representations of the planned venues. However, the documentary value of the models is not compromised by the substantial gap between what was proposed in 1992 and 1993 and delivered in 2000. Since the financially disastrous Montreal Olympics of 1976, most Olympic cities, notably Los Angeles, Barcelona and Atlanta, have hosted the Games primarily in existing venues. This was not an option for Sydney, which lacked numerous Olympic-standard venues, notably a large stadium.Sydney's proposal to create a vast new sporting and residential complex at Homebush was largely dependent on the success of its Olympic bid. That most of the proposed venues were only to be built if the 2000 Games were secured emphasised their uncertain ongoing viability. The long-term financial viability of two major commitments - the Olympic Stadium and the Athletes Village - was considered particularly marginal. The NSW Government found private investors prepared to take most of the financial risk for these two projects. The Government's caution has proved to well-founded in respect of the stadium. In contrast the former Athletes Village - now the suburb of Newington - has proved to be both a financial and an architectural success. More broadly Olympic Park has proved a catalyst for residential development in surrounding suburbs. The Canada Bay area - including Rhodes, Meadowbank and Liberty Grove - by 2010 had the fastest population growth in Sydney. Charles Pickett, curator.
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Summary
Object Statement
Model, architectural, Velodrome, Paul Ryder and Paula Valsamis (Ryder & Associates), for the Sydney Olympics 2000 Bid Ltd, Sydney, 1992.
Physical Description
Model, architectural, Velodrome, Paul Ryder and Paula Valsamis (Ryder & Associates), for the Sydney Olympics 2000 Bid Ltd, Sydney, 1992.Model of the Sydney Olympic Velodrome, as proposed for the successful 1993 Sydney Olympic bid for the 2000 Olympics. The velodrome features a banked cycle track and stadium seating, both substantially sunk below ground level, covered by a suspended transparent roof. The model also features roads, landscaping and a waterway. The model is protected by a clear acrylic cover. An acrylic plaque lists the designers, consultants and client.
DIMENSIONS
Height
397 mm
Width
1223 mm
Depth
1223 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The Velodrome was the only Olympic sport venue design chosen by competition. Paul Ryder and Paula Valsamis of Ryder & Associates, a small Sydney firm, were successful with the design modelled here. Rod McGeoch, the CEO of the Sydney Bid, recalled: 'I'll never forget awarding the prize for the velodrome. It was a cheque for $20,000. A young girl and a guy from a small architectural practice won it and they were so pleased. It meant everything to them'. Engineering and other expertise was contributed by Ove Arup & Partners, Barry Webb & Associates, Rider Hunt and Crysell Research. Unlike most of the sports stadia designs created for the 1993 bid, the Velodrome is to be built substantially as modelled. Ryder and Associates remain the architects and construction is scheduled to begin February 1998 and be completed September 1999. However, the Velodrome may not be built at the Homebush Olympic Park. Several Sydney muncipalities have lobbied for the Velodrome site, and a decision on location is to be made by the NSW Government during 1997. The model was made in Sydney by Arche Pty Ltd. This design formed the basis of the Dunc Gray Velodrome built at Bankstown. The following information is from the AOC guide to Sydney 2000 venues: Designed to be Australia's premier track cycling facility, the Velodrome is located within The Crest of Bankstown, an area of recreational parkland with existing athletics, hockey and soccer fields, at Bankstown in Sydney's west. The NSW State Government's Olympic Co-ordination Authority (OCA) is developed this world-class facility, a venue for high-performance cycling, with Bankstown City Council. It will be a long-term legacy for the people of western Sydney, expected to attract the world cycling circuit, national and international events, all levels of local cycling competition, the coaching and training of elite athletes, and school and club competition. Construction on the $41 million Velodrome commenced in May 1998 and was complete in September 1999. Bankstown City Council is providing the land at no cost, and will upgrade the parking on The Crest to accommodate about 1400 cars. After the Games, the Bankstown City Council will operate the venue. The Velodrome is named after Dunc Gray who won Australia's first cycling gold medal at Los Angeles in 1932. Dunc Gray was committed to cycling and the Olympic movement and was involved in both the Melbourne Centennial Olympic bid in 1996 and Sydney's successful bid for the 2000 Games. Design The Velodrome's compact, domed structure is clearly visible along the Hume Highway. The design, by Ryder SJPH Architects, originated from Paul Ryder's winning entry to the Olympic Velodrome design competition during Sydney's bid for the 2000 Olympic Games. The enclosed building covers about 11,000 square metres. The metal decked roof holds glazed central skylights, equipped with light-control louvres to optimise natural lighting and eliminate shadows on the track. The 250 x 7 metre banked cycling track is made from baltic pine timber. The infield is sunk 1.2 metres below the cycling track's safety zone. Surrounding the track are 3,150 permanent spectator seats, raked to provide the best possible sightlines. During the Olympics, seating will be expanded to accommodate 5,821 seats. The seats are arranged in amphitheatre style and linked by a public concourse. The infield can be configured for other sports, such as basketball and badminton, and for uses such as exhibitions, trade shows and banquets. The building also includes race and commentary facilities, athlete's change rooms and gymnasium, venue and management rooms, amenities and retail services. Access features include ramps, distributed wheelchair seating, a lift, access toilets, access parking provisions, tactile signage and baby change facilities. Entry points and car parking areas are located to minimise noise and other impacts on the nearby residential areas. Environment A commitment to ecologically sustainable development (ESD) is at the heart of OCA's development program. Environmental initiatives at the Velodrome include natural ventilation using a "stack effect". Warm air in the amphitheatre will be vented out through louvres in the roof, drawing in cooler air from outside through the seating bowl. Natural lighting is provided by skylights, significantly lowering energy consumption during daylight hours Trivia Track size: 250 metres Total length of track timber laid end to end: 60 kilometres Number of nails used in construction: 360,000 Track racing surface: Baltic Pine (Finland) Surface angles: 42 degrees max (mid bends), 12 degrees min (straights). Safety Track (duck board) width: 5 metres Track racing surface width: 7 metres Seating capacity: 3150 (Olympic Games - 5,821) Charles Pickett, curator.
HISTORY
Notes
The model was displayed in 1992 and 1993 at the offices of the Sydney Olympics Bid. From 1994 to 1996 it was displayed in the SOCOG offices.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG)
Acquisition Date
6 May 1997
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