As London gears up to host the Games in 2012, the Aquatics Centre is the latest chapter in the Olympic Park success story.
London may be a city steeped in its rich architectural past, but it is now carving out a future blueprint that is equally exciting. Five years ago, in July 2006, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) set out a challenging brief to clear the Olympic Park site and build new venues and infrastructure needed for test events by the summer of 2011. Today, the ODA has not only met its target but has done so within budget, with a safety record far better than the industry average and by setting new standards in sustainability and accessible design.
Completing the series of the six main Olympic Park venues this monsoon is the Aquatics Centre, with exactly one year left for the London Olympics to begin. The centre will be a gateway to the games and, thereafter, a new community and sporting venue for the British capital.
Constructing the centreConstruction on the Aquatics Centre started just over three years ago in June 2008. However, before the foundation was laid, 11 buildings were demolished and around 160,000 tonne of soil was dug out of what was once a prehistoric settlement and later one of the most polluted areas of the Olympic Park.
The Aquatics Centre is located in the southern portion of Olympic Park. Built by Balfour Beatty and designed by Architect and Designer Zaha Hadid, the overall structure of the centre resembles a big skate fish (an underwater sea creature). The centre is spread across 36,875 sq m with a footprint area of 15,950 sq m, and includes a huge land-bridge that forms the roof of the training pool and the main pedestrian access to the Olympic Park. The entire construction process involved over 3,630 people and 370 businesses from all over the UK.
Geometric linksThe Aquatics Centre, being the gateway to the games, links Olympic Park to the Stratford City development through an east-west bridge - Stratford City Bridge - which is also a new pedestrian access. This bridge will provide a visible frontage for the Aquatics Centre along with several smaller pedestrian bridges that will connect the site to the park over an existing canal.
The fluid geometry of water in motion was the main inspiration behind the architectural concept for the Aquatics Centre, complementing the river landscape of the park. The outer portion of the structure comprises an undulating roof that sweeps up from the ground in the form of a wave, enclosing and unifying the pools in a gesture of fluidity, while at the same time describing the volume of the swimming and diving pools. The sweeping roof, 160 m long and 90 m at its widest point, is an innovative steel structure weighing over 3,000 tonne. It has a striking and robust aluminium covering - half of which is recycled - resting on three supports. On the whole, the venue contains 9,000 tonne of steel, and the hardwood ceiling is made up of 37,000 individual strips.
Pooling inThe centre is flexible in capacity to accommodate the 2012 Olympic Games while providing the optimum size and capacity for use in legacy mode after the games. With a capacity of 17,500 during the games, the centre will host swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and the swimming element of the Modern Pentathlon. However, after the games, the venue will be reduced to a maximum capacity of 2,500, with the ability to add 1,000 seats for major events.
The centre is planned on an orthogonal axis perpendicular to Stratford City bridge. Three pools have been laid out along this axis - the training pool is located under the bridge, while the competition and diving pools are within a large pool hall. In all, the centre has two 50 m swimming pools with moveable floors and separation booms, a diving pool and dry diving area for a full range of community and elite use.
The base of the pool hall is in the form of a podium surrounded by and connected to the bridge, allowing for a variety of elements to be combined into a single architectural volume. It emerges from under the bridge and cascades around the pool hall to the lower level of the canal. The pool hall is expressed above the podium by the large roof that arches along the same axis, and its form is generated by the sightlines for the games spectators.
The three pools hold a total of 10 million litre of water. In all, six unique diving boards were constructed on site: a 5 m board, a 7.5 m board and 3 m board, a 10 m board and 3 m springboards. Over 850,000 ceramic tiles are installed in the pools, poolside and changing rooms.
The entire structure of the Aquatics Centre was completed in late July and unveiled with British Olympic hopeful Tom Daley making the first dive into the pool. Indeed, the centre forms yet another addition to London's impressive list of first class venues, which are now all set to welcome the world's greatest sportsmen and women.
The Aquatics Centre has 9,000 tonne of steel, a hardwood ceiling that is made up of 37,000 strips, and over 850,000 ceramic tiles cover the pools, poolside and changing rooms.
Project details:Contractor: Balfour Beatty. Tel: +44-020 7216 6800. Email:
[email protected] Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects. Tel: +44-20 7253 5147. E-mail:
[email protected] Website:
www.zaha-hadid.comSports Architect: S+P Architects (London). Tel: +44-20 7831 8877. E-mail:
[email protected] Website:
www.s-parchitects.comStructural/Services and BREEAM: Ove Arup & Partners (London, Newcastle). Tel: +44-191 261 6080. Email:
[email protected]. Website:
www.arup.comFire Safety: Arup Fire (London). Tel: +61-3-9668 5500. E-mail:
[email protected] Website:
www.arup.comAcoustics: Arup Acoustics (London). Tel: +44-1962 829 900. E-mail:
[email protected] Website:
www.arup.comLighting: Arup Lighting (London). Website:
www.arup.comKitchen Design: Winton Nightingale (London). Tel: 01892-752 740. E-mail:
[email protected]. Website:
www.winton-nightingale.comTemp Construction: Edwin Shirley Staging (London). Tel: +44-20-7055 7200.
Security: Arup Security (London). Tel: +44-20 7636 1531. E-mail:
[email protected] Website:
www.arup.comAV/IT: Mark Johnson Consultants (London). Tel: +44-1628 604411. Website:
www.consult-mjc.comAccess: Access = Design (London). Tel: +44-20-7483 4800. E-mail:
[email protected] Website:
www.accessdesign.co.ukCDM Coordinator: Total CDM Solutions (Cardigan). Tel: 01239- 623 700. E-mail:
[email protected]. Website:
www.total-cdm.comWould you like to share details of any green initiatives? Write in to us at
[email protected]
As London gears up to host the Games in 2012, the Aquatics Centre is the latest chapter in the Olympic Park success story.London may be a city steeped in its rich architectural past, but it is now carving out a future blueprint that is equally exciting. Five years ago, in July 2006, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) set out a challenging brief to clear the Olympic Park site and build new venues and infrastructure needed for test events by the summer of 2011. Today, the ODA has not only met its target but has done so within budget, with a safety record far better than the industry average and by setting new standards in sustainability and accessible design.Completing the series of the six main Olympic Park venues this monsoon is the Aquatics Centre, with exactly one year left for the London Olympics to begin. The centre will be a gateway to the games and, thereafter, a new community and sporting venue for the British capital.Constructing the centreConstruction on the Aquatics Centre started just over three years ago in June 2008. However, before the foundation was laid, 11 buildings were demolished and around 160,000 tonne of soil was dug out of what was once a prehistoric settlement and later one of the most polluted areas of the Olympic Park.The Aquatics Centre is located in the southern portion of Olympic Park. Built by Balfour Beatty and designed by Architect and Designer Zaha Hadid, the overall structure of the centre resembles a big skate fish (an underwater sea creature). The centre is spread across 36,875 sq m with a footprint area of 15,950 sq m, and includes a huge land-bridge that forms the roof of the training pool and the main pedestrian access to the Olympic Park. The entire construction process involved over 3,630 people and 370 businesses from all over the UK.Geometric linksThe Aquatics Centre, being the gateway to the games, links Olympic Park to the Stratford City development through an east-west bridge - Stratford City Bridge - which is also a new pedestrian access. This bridge will provide a visible frontage for the Aquatics Centre along with several smaller pedestrian bridges that will connect the site to the park over an existing canal.The fluid geometry of water in motion was the main inspiration behind the architectural concept for the Aquatics Centre, complementing the river landscape of the park. The outer portion of the structure comprises an undulating roof that sweeps up from the ground in the form of a wave, enclosing and unifying the pools in a gesture of fluidity, while at the same time describing the volume of the swimming and diving pools. The sweeping roof, 160 m long and 90 m at its widest point, is an innovative steel structure weighing over 3,000 tonne. It has a striking and robust aluminium covering - half of which is recycled - resting on three supports. On the whole, the venue contains 9,000 tonne of steel, and the hardwood ceiling is made up of 37,000 individual strips.Pooling inThe centre is flexible in capacity to accommodate the 2012 Olympic Games while providing the optimum size and capacity for use in legacy mode after the games. With a capacity of 17,500 during the games, the centre will host swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and the swimming element of the Modern Pentathlon. However, after the games, the venue will be reduced to a maximum capacity of 2,500, with the ability to add 1,000 seats for major events.The centre is planned on an orthogonal axis perpendicular to Stratford City bridge. Three pools have been laid out along this axis - the training pool is located under the bridge, while the competition and diving pools are within a large pool hall. In all, the centre has two 50 m swimming pools with moveable floors and separation booms, a diving pool and dry diving area for a full range of community and elite use.The base of the pool hall is in the form of a podium surrounded by and connected to the bridge, allowing for a variety of elements to be combined into a single architectural volume. It emerges from under the bridge and cascades around the pool hall to the lower level of the canal. The pool hall is expressed above the podium by the large roof that arches along the same axis, and its form is generated by the sightlines for the games spectators.The three pools hold a total of 10 million litre of water. In all, six unique diving boards were constructed on site: a 5 m board, a 7.5 m board and 3 m board, a 10 m board and 3 m springboards. Over 850,000 ceramic tiles are installed in the pools, poolside and changing rooms.The entire structure of the Aquatics Centre was completed in late July and unveiled with British Olympic hopeful Tom Daley making the first dive into the pool. Indeed, the centre forms yet another addition to London's impressive list of first class venues, which are now all set to welcome the world's greatest sportsmen and women.The Aquatics Centre has 9,000 tonne of steel, a hardwood ceiling that is made up of 37,000 strips, and over 850,000 ceramic tiles cover the pools, poolside and changing rooms.Project details:Contractor: Balfour Beatty. Tel: +44-020 7216 6800. Email: [email protected] Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects. Tel: +44-20 7253 5147. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.zaha-hadid.comSports Architect: S+P Architects (London). Tel: +44-20 7831 8877. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.s-parchitects.comStructural/Services and BREEAM: Ove Arup & Partners (London, Newcastle). Tel: +44-191 261 6080. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.arup.comFire Safety: Arup Fire (London). Tel: +61-3-9668 5500. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.arup.comAcoustics: Arup Acoustics (London). Tel: +44-1962 829 900. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.arup.comLighting: Arup Lighting (London). Website: www.arup.comKitchen Design: Winton Nightingale (London). Tel: 01892-752 740. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.winton-nightingale.comTemp Construction: Edwin Shirley Staging (London). Tel: +44-20-7055 7200.Security: Arup Security (London). Tel: +44-20 7636 1531. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.arup.comAV/IT: Mark Johnson Consultants (London). Tel: +44-1628 604411. Website: www.consult-mjc.comAccess: Access = Design (London). Tel: +44-20-7483 4800. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.accessdesign.co.ukCDM Coordinator: Total CDM Solutions (Cardigan). Tel: 01239- 623 700. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.total-cdm.comWould you like to share details of any green initiatives? Write in to us at [email protected]
