dhennon 1 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Speaking from a British point-of-view, I am hoping and to some extent expecting something exciting, unexpected and innovative. These are values which we would like to present to the world .. we have so much heritage and history to draw from when composing a ceremony, yet we really need to show we're still relevant and embrace those sentiments I mentioned. Hence, I am hoping the end of this story is a "nice one UK" and not a disappointed yawn. I'm no patriot particularly, but I rather feel we'll do a pretty good job! At worst, it can't be as bad as the London bus with "modern" dance in the handover segment in Beijing! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Olympian2004 511 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Let's be clear. Time isn't "running short" for London. It's not as if they've been procrastinating and are left with their backup plan. That wasn't what I said. I just said that there's hardly any time left to build a big tower outside the Olympic Stadium. Nothing more and nothing less. Instead of lamenting all the things that are "sadly no longer possible" (as if that ship has sailed!) let's just wait and see what emerges. We only discuss what is probable and what is not. And again, it seems highly improbable that suddenly there will pop up a tall tower outside the stadium. We don't see any possible foundation for such a structure, we don't see any construction activities. Maybe London will do something which will be beyond our imagination, but based on how long the construction of previous (and even smaller) Olympic cauldrons took, it seems very unlikely that they will build something huge. Link to post Share on other sites
kevzz 146 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Maybe the cauldron doesnt need any construction at all. Just instantaneous 'plug in' method by the final torch bearer..... Link to post Share on other sites
Olympian2004 511 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Maybe the cauldron doesnt need any construction at all. Just instantaneous 'plug in' method by the final torch bearer..... You mean the torch will be the cauldron? Link to post Share on other sites
kevzz 146 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 You mean the torch will be the cauldron? More like something that can be carried by a few torch bearers or volunteer performers and just plugged into the site outside the stadium. Almost like a traditional village helping each other to assemble a hut Link to post Share on other sites
baron-pierreIV 1700 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 (edited) Or not unless LOCOG has set a 24/7 work sked to "get it up" (so to speak ) and will have crews working into the night to finish it. So realistically, it could still appear totally out of the blue in the days leading up to the 27th. More like something that can be carried by a few torch bearers or volunteer performers and just plugged into the site outside the stadium. Almost like a traditional village helping each other to assemble a hut Nope. I believe it will be a separate sculpture piece because Heatherwick stressed that in his V&A interview where a scale model would supposedly appear on the morning of the 27th! So it seems it's something prefab and can just be mounted onto its stem and then ready to go (hopefully, after a test or so). Edited July 6, 2012 by baron-pierreIV Link to post Share on other sites
kevzz 146 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 I had a look through the construction drawing of the Orbit which is publicly available here in the Architect's Journal. There is no mention of any gas services and the top of the observation deck are full of lift dampers, chiller and AHU rooms. So I think we can safely discount the possibility of a cauldron placed on top of the Orbit once and for all. http://www.ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk/projects/display/id/5305 Link to post Share on other sites
dhennon 1 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 I suppose my real fear is they'll attempt something too clever and it goes wrong (Barcelona). Or be very boring. The fact I'm actually excited about this when I am much too old to really adds. I'm going to have to stop reading this forum in case it spoils it now! Link to post Share on other sites
baron-pierreIV 1700 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 I suppose my real fear is they'll attempt something too clever and it goes wrong (Barcelona). Or be very boring. The fact I'm actually excited about this when I am much too old to really adds. I'm going to have to stop reading this forum in case it spoils it now! Barcelona? U're too excited already!! Nothing went wrong with Barcelona's lighting. It went off as planned. I think u mean Vancouver. Link to post Share on other sites
Olympian2004 511 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 It's way too early to speculate about the lighting method anyway -- as long as we don't know where that friggin' cauldron will be and how it will look like! I guess that the lighting method speculation will take only a few days or even hours this time. Link to post Share on other sites
Brekkie Boy 73 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 For secret Cauldrons outside of the stadium wouldn't the timeframe of Sydney be the best comparison. I don't know if Gamesbid was around back then but anyone know the sort of timeframe for the reveal of that? Link to post Share on other sites
Olympian2004 511 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Sydney's cauldron wasn't outside the stadium, it sat on top of one of the two temporary stands. And although the general public only got to see the complete cauldron on opening night, the stem of the cauldron was visible to reporters visiting the stadium already months before. So Sydney is no real comparison for London. In fact, probably no recent Olympic Games compare so far to London in terms of the absolute secrecy regarding the cauldron. Link to post Share on other sites
Kenadian 300 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Gamesbids was known as TorontoSummerGames back in those days and mostly focused on Toronto's bid for the 2008 Olympics. Although only 12 years ago, the world of digital and social media was at its infancy, so there wasn't as much access to info like there is today. Besides, Sydney's cauldron was a completely different beast. A two parter, with the disc hidden in the stage. I do recall reading after those games that Cathy Freeman had to practice the lighting sequence at around 4:00 am to keep any prying eyes off her. So I don't think anyone in the general population knew what was going to happen until it actually happened. Link to post Share on other sites
Athensfan 1081 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 I had a look through the construction drawing of the Orbit which is publicly available here in the Architect's Journal. There is no mention of any gas services and the top of the observation deck are full of lift dampers, chiller and AHU rooms. So I think we can safely discount the possibility of a cauldron placed on top of the Orbit once and for all. http://www.ajbuildin...display/id/5305 We could've safely discounted that possibility months ago. I agree with you 100%, but it's not going to stop somebody from suggesting it again as "the only option" because it's tall..... Link to post Share on other sites
Kenadian 300 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Hey...has anyone ever considered that it might be on the Orbit? Link to post Share on other sites
NY20?? 98 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Imagine it's actually on top of the thing. I'll laugh. Link to post Share on other sites
Olympian2004 511 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 I guess we will all laugh. Sort of. Anyway, here's a somewhat new theory from Paf 82 on SkyscraperCity, even if there were already some suspicions raised about that barge north of the stadium (with the generators on it, as it turned out): This might be far fetched but what are the chances of the cauldron being on a barge that could be floated into place on the river near the area mentioned in the planning permission? If the gas lines were under the much discussed white plate by the river they could just moor up and plug it in. The barge could have a telescopic tower on board. I like this theory because it still keeps the hope alive that they'll have a cauldron outside the stadium. Link to post Share on other sites
Kenadian 300 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 With 112 pages on this thread, and 3 weeks to go, I thought I'd create a poll just to get a snapshot of what Gamesbidders think when it comes to the location of the cauldron. Let's keep the discussion here in this thread, but the poll is in a separate thread: Cauldron Location Poll 1 Link to post Share on other sites
baron-pierreIV 1700 Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 I guess we will all laugh. Sort of. Anyway, here's a somewhat new theory from Paf 82 on SkyscraperCity, even if there were already some suspicions raised about that barge north of the stadium (with the generators on it, as it turned out): I like this theory because it still keeps the hope alive that they'll have a cauldron outside the stadium. Kinda sounds nice; but look at all the bridges & overhanging areas. It doesn't really leave much room to bring in anything tall. They'll have to try real hard to get it up during the actual OC. Link to post Share on other sites
Deeger 2 Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Newbie from Alaska (NO, I cannot see Russia from my house!) ....Olympic greetings to one and all. Had a goofy idea about the Cauldron. I say that the entire inside rim of the roof of the main stadium is lit (a ring of fire) and the WHOLE stadium becomes THE cauldron....huh??!!!! Maybe they should do what Los Angeles did and re-use the cauldron London used for the games of '48...,. Link to post Share on other sites
Victor Mata 272 Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 It took a while for the ring of fire theory appear once again! Welcome, Deeger, and since you're Alaskan and so that close to Sochi you could bring the 2014 discussion threads to a whole new era. BTW, after reading all the theories going nowhere, what if London will just have a simple and easy Seoul-style cauldron? Link to post Share on other sites
bra'tac 4 Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Ok, so I was typing up a really long post when the page refreshed and I lost everything. Really the most important contribution I think I had was this: -The cauldron tower will not be on the Orbit, unless they erect an even taller structure on top. The Orbit doesn't look like it's been engineered for that structurally. -The cauldron will be directly on top of the Orbit. The HUGE amount of heat from these flames is a big safety hazard. Even though the loop looks like it may be far enough away, it would still be too close for safety, as I believe the heat could still compromise structural integrity, not to mention the integrity of the visitor deck. Cliff's notes of my other comments: -The trumpet cauldron design is feasible (and quite elegant). The LOCOG could have involved only one person in the ticket design and base it off of an early Heatherwick sketch. Then they send it to the printer. That adds only 1 additional person to the group in the know. -The slab to the north of the stadium looks like a likely candidate site. A few notes: The construction photos aren't very helpful. We don't know when during the process they were taken. It looks like it was taken early, so we don't even know if they dug deeper or just poured a relatively thin slab. If it's a thin slab, then I doubt is the location. Don't know why they walled off part of the canal. Even if the water table is really high, walling off a small portion of the canal like that wouldn't help. The canal is shallower than I thought. My "hiding the cauldron in the canal" theory is totally BUSTED. Yes the site is lower than the main concourse level, but if you're already building a tower that's visible inside the stadium, then what's an extra few meters? The big bridge with the mosaic floor is a very large gathering area (it seems larger than the other bridges/areas plus more ornate). It seems special, perhaps an intended vantage point for the cauldron? Edit: The cauldron WILL NOT be directly on top of the Orbit. Link to post Share on other sites
dah05 2 Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Hello all.... A Newbie here! I have really enjoyed reading all the posts. I am excited about all the pre-Olympics buzz. After looking at some of the posts and photos.... I agree that the cauldron will be something that is portable and will be inside the stadium during the ceremony and moved afterwards. I also think, that since we have seen pictures of the giant tree lifting from its base in the stadium, the cauldron could lift from inside the big hill where the tree sits. Earlier arguments suggested that placing it there would be a safety concern for the spectators and too close to the stadium.... again lets not forget the Sydney cauldron that can really close to viewers as it rose to the top of the stadium. The flame was not fully turned on high until it reached the top. or Could the tree be used to lift the person lighting the cauldron on top of the stadium? Link to post Share on other sites
baron-pierreIV 1700 Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Hello all.... A Newbie here! I have really enjoyed reading all the posts. I am excited about all the pre-Olympics buzz. Could the tree be used to lift the person lighting the cauldron on top of the stadium? Welcome, dah05. Someone already connected with the ceremonies here said that the Tor is NOT the location of the cauldron; and I would tend to believe that. I think more clues will turn up by the 22nd for sure. Link to post Share on other sites
alphamale86 47 Posted July 7, 2012 Report Share Posted July 7, 2012 Hey Dah05, Welcome! I think we can rule out any flying torchbearers seeing Beijing kind of shut that down lol Link to post Share on other sites
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