Calatrava roof ‘ready in time’
The landmark steel and glass roof being built for the main Athens Olympic stadium will be ready on schedule, just over 100 days before the Games opening ceremony, architect Santiago Calatrava assured journalists yesterday. The gigantic dome, intended to protect spectators from the capital’s fierce August heat, is the only work of any architectural significance being built for the Olympics. It is part of a general overhaul of the aging stadium complex. International Olympic Committee officials have repeatedly voiced fears that the stadium roof may not be ready in time. «All construction work is within time frames,» the Spanish architect said during a visit to the complex with Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Athens 2004 chief Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki. «Some 95-100 percent of the steel frame has been assembled… The translucent blue glass roof will light up at night like a lamp.» Venizelos refused to say how much the project would cost, adding that it will be ready «before the end of April.» The Games start on August 13.
