LONDON - A massive wood structure built for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London has already attained iconic stature. The Velodrome, built for high-speed indoor bicycle races, features FSC and PEFC certified lumber and panel throughout.

Fifty-six kilometers (about 30 miles) of timber was laid to form the Velodrome track surface, fixed in place using more than 300,000 nails.The 5,000 square meters (about 45,000 square feet) of western red cedar used to clad its exterior. Both this and the Siberian pine for the Velodrome’s track were certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

 The Velodrome is one of 19 structures incorporating wood certified under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standards, including the track, the Aquatics Centre and all bridges, fences and benches at the Olympic site.

Olympic project involved over 12,500 cubic metres of timber – from European construction timber to tropical hardwoods - and is a world first that involved adapting existing standards to suit a demanding and complex site, according to Soil Association Woodmark, which certified the lumber for the Olympic Delivery Authority in London.

The contract was awarded to Hopkins Architects in the U.K., in August 2007 following a competition. Work started on site in February 2009, and was completed January 2011.  The building was a collaboration with Expedition Engineering, BDSP and Grant Associates.