"Simple but clever" London Olympic stadium unveiled

This computer-generated image released by The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in London shows the design for the Olympic Stadium, the flagship venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, November 7, 2007. (REUTERS/Olympic Delivery Authority/Handout)

LONDON (Reuters) - The London 2012 main Olympic stadium will be a "simple, but clever bowl," organizers said as they unveiled its design on Wednesday.

The 80,000-seater stadium, which will cost 496 million pounds ($1.04 billion), is not spectacular, designers said, but will offer a unique and "very tight, very compelling bowl."

The track and field area and lower tier of seating for 25,000 people will be sunk into the ground. The upper section, seating 55,000, will be taken down after the Games.

Food outlets and villages will also be sited on the so-called stadium island, which will be surrounded by water on three sides.

Media reports had suggested a roof would only cover VIP areas, but Rod Sheard, senior principal for the Team Stadium consortium of architects and builders, said two-thirds of spectators would be covered.

He said the stadium would not have a spectacular arch like Wembley stadium in north London but would impress with its complexity and provide a special atmosphere.

"It is a very tight, very compelling bowl," he said. "The atmosphere in this bowl, we think, will be pretty special."

The design will create a clever building providing a clever solution to the needs of a 21st-century stadium, Sheard said.

About 60,000 of the seats will be for the public during the Games while the remaining 20,000 will be used by sponsors, the media and other organizations.

One of the reasons given by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) last month for a 77 percent increase in the estimated cost of the main stadium, from its bid price of 280 million pounds, is its legacy and post-Games community use.

This will include a permanent athletics track and seating for 25,000 people.

The ODA is in discussions with possible future tenants, including two rugby clubs and a football club.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said the stadium was inspiring and designed to be different. "It is a fantastic example of British architecture and what construction companies can do."

Double Olympic 1500 meters champion Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said the stadium would be inspiring, innovative and sustainable.

"We talk about milestones, but few will be more exciting than this, the unveiling of the Olympic stadium, which will be the centerpiece of our Olympic Park," he added.