Damage to roof membrane blamed for leaks above media area

Leaks in the roof of Hopkins’ Olympic Velodrome were the result of damage to the roof membrane during the final stages of construction, a source at London 2012 has told BD.

Three minor leaks were reported over the media area at the venue after heavy rain last Sunday, prompting overnight repairs to the roof. The competition was unaffected.

A London 2012 insider told BD that the roof membrane had accidentally been pierced while final adjustments to the building were made.

“There’s been a very tiny leak caused by a couple of pin pricks in the roof membrane which have been corrected,” he said.

“It wasn’t a design flaw. There was a snag in the roof and in rectifying that snag the roof membrane was pierced. High winds and rain caused a little bit of water to come in.

“It’s a fantastic design and we’re delighted with it,” he added.

The Stirling Prize-nominated building has been widely praised during the games and has seen seven world records broken in it.