The Millennium Dome’s roof has started to tear and peel off from the force of Storm Eunice, while more infrastructure around the UK shuts down as a safety precaution.
Images and videos of the London landmark’s increasingly sorry state have been circling online as Storm Eunice’s 160km/h force continues to ravage its fabric covering.
The £789M building was designed by Richard Rogers in association with structural engineers Buro Happold, who might have to be called back on to the scene fix it once the wind dies down. The construction was carried out by a JV between Sir Robert McAlpine and John Laing.
The roof was originally intended to be made of PVC-coated polyester fabric, but after intense pressure from Greenpeace the material was changed to Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-coated glass fibre. This put up the cost of the roof material from £6.1M to £14M, although the dome structure still came in under-budget at £43M.
Ministers at the time argued that the PTFE-coated glass fibre would last longer, with a 25-year lifespan guaranteed. Media at the time reported that rips had appeared in the fabric within a year of its opening. However, it has never suffered an onslaught like today, which fundamentally undermines its promised lifespan.
It now houses the O2 Arena concert venue and Vue multiplex cinema as well as a series of restaurants and retail outlets. No announcement has yet been made about when or if they will be able to re-open for business.
More and more of the Dome is being shredded pic.twitter.com/EUgyH2ryvK
Storm Eunice is continuing its destruction, this is the O2 arena (millennium dome) London. pic.twitter.com/XLUKYHSkkg
Storm Eunice already caused chaos across the country this morning, closing major road bridges including the Dartford Crossing and causing disruptions to rail services by pulling trees onto tracks.
The country is on red weather warning – the highest level – and prime minister Boris Johnson has said the army is on standby in case of major incidents.
Meanwhile, Storm Eunice continues to wreak havoc on roads, rail and airports – with bridges in particular susceptible.
The latest structures to fall foul to its force include the Humber Bridge, which has closed as of 1.30pm. In the southwest – the worst affected part of the country – both the Severn Bridge and Prince of Wales Bridge have closed for the first time in their history. The main road through central Bristol has been cordoned off by police. The Medway bridge in Kent has been closed after a lorry was overturned by the wind while crossing it.
Network Rail is urging people not to travel by rail. The entirety of the rail network in Wales has been closed. Train services at Euston, Waterloo and Paddington have ceased. All routes in Kent are currently closed due to multiple trees on tracks and South West Rail has cancelled all trains until at least 6.30pm. An 80km/h speed limit has been imposed on trains that are running.
Similarly, London Overground services have also been disrupted with mayor Sadiq Khan urging Londoners to stay at home.
Airports have naturally been impacted, with London City Airport closing entirely and all others around the country experiencing multiple delays, cancellations and re-routing of flights.
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Tagged with: Buro Happold Millennium Dome norman foster o2 arena
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