ABSTRACT
Greece was experiencing an unsustainable debt-fuelled economic boom at the time of the award of the Summer Games to Athens. The government saw the Games as an opportunity to regenerate the city, following the example of the Barcelona Games 12 years earlier. Ambitious plans were drawn up for a massive urban transformation. Although there was to be no new main stadium, there would be permanent venues for minority sports such as softball and beach volleyball.
International iconic designer Santiago Calatrava was commissioned to upgrade the existing 75,000-seat Spyros Louis stadium, which suffered from a lack of weather protection for spectators. Calatrava’s solution was a pair of undulating polycarbonate roofs suspended from two giant steel arches. The existing lighting towers were demolished and the arches were assembled outside the stadium, and then slid into position.
Upgrading the stadium and completing the other venues was only accomplished by three-shift 24-hour working. Since the Games it has become obvious that corners were cut and deterioration has been rapid. Greece’s financial crises have meant there have been few funds available for maintenance. The spectacular stadium roof leaks badly. The Games are now considered to be the most expensive ever in terms of cost per capita.
