The London Aquatics Centre is an indoor facility with two
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
s and a
diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
pool in
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a sporting complex and public park in Stratford, Hackney Wick, Leyton and Bow, in east London. It was purpose-built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, situated adjacent to the Stratford City developm ...
in
Stratford, London. The centre, designed by architect
Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...
as one of the main venues of the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and the
2012 Summer Paralympics
The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...
, was used for the
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
,
diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
and
synchronised swimming
Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming) or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by FINA (the ''Fédérati ...
events. After significant modification, the centre opened to the public in March 2014.
Design
The centre was designed by
Pritzker Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international architecture award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produ ...
-winning architect
Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...
in 2004 before
London won the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. It was built alongside the
Water Polo Arena and opposite the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
on the opposite bank of the
Waterworks River
Waterworks River is a river, at one time a tidal river, in the London Borough of Newham, one of the Bow Back Rivers that flow into the Bow Creek part of the River Lea, which in turn flows into the River Thames.
The river is an artificial chann ...
. The site is high, long, and wide. The wave-like roof is stated to be , a reduction from the previously stated .
The complex has a 50-m competition pool, a 25-m competition diving pool and a 50-m warm-up pool.
The 50-m pool is 3 metres deep, like the one in the
Beijing National Aquatics Center
The National Aquatics Centre (), and colloquially known as the Water Cube () and the Ice Cube (), is an aquatics center at the Olympic Green in Beijing, China.
The facility was originally constructed to host the aquatics competitions at the ...
, in order to be fast. Its floor can be moved to reduce its depth. There are also moveable booms that allow its size to be changed.
The diving pool has platform boards at heights of 3 m, 5 m, 7.5 m, and 10 m and three 3m springboards.
For the television coverage of the Olympics, the pools were also equipped with innovative cameras in order to present the action from multiple angles.
Because the centre was designed before the Olympic bid was completed, the spectator wings were not part of the original design. They were later added to fit the estimated audience.
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Jean Marie Rogge, Count Rogge (, ; 2 May 1942 – 29 August 2021) was a Belgian sports administrator and physician who served as the eighth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013. In 2013, Rogge beca ...
, IOC President, described the centre as a "masterpiece".
Construction
On 1 December 2005, Hadid was instructed to revise her designs after a specification change led to a doubling of the £75-million estimated cost.
["Olympic Pool Plans To Be Revised"]
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 9 June 2012. The new plans were unveiled on 27 November 2006.
["London Scales Down 2012 Pool Plan"]
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
. 17 November 2006. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Although the same general design was kept, with capacity for 17,500 spectators, the revised design was much smaller and was expected to cost much less than the previous estimate. However, subsequent cost increases were reported to Parliament in 2008.
The construction contract was awarded to
Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, Balfour Beatty works ac ...
in April 2008. At the same time, it was reported that the centre would cost about three times as much as originally estimated, totalling about £242 million. The cost increases were attributed to construction inflation and
VAT
A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...
increases, and also included the estimated cost of converting the facility for public use after the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The centre was completed in July 2011 at a final cost of £269 million.
[
By exposing the concrete finish rather than painting or cladding, the design demonstrates the precast-concrete skills provided by Peri. The precast floor terracing was manufactured by Bell & Webster Concrete in ]Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, England. The terracing units were delivered and positioned to accelerate the speed of construction. The unique six-board diving platform
A diving platform or diving tower is a type of structure used for competitive diving. It consists of a vertical rigid "tower" with one or more horizontal platforms extending out over a deep pool of water. In platform diving, the diver jumps from ...
is made from 462 tonnes of concrete. The aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
roof covering was provided by Kalzip. The steel structure was built in cooperation with Rowecord Engineering
Rowecord Engineering Ltd was a Wales, Welsh structural steel contractor that specialised in sports facilities, footbridges, and heavy industry. Landmark works include the London Aquatics Centre, Olympic Aquatics Centre roof, Mary Rose Museum, Car ...
, of Newport, Wales
Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2 ...
. The ceiling was built with 30,000 sections of Red Louro timber. The steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
roof weighs 3,200 tonnes. The three pools hold around 10 million litres (2.2 million imperial gallons; 2.6 million US gallons) of water.
After the Paralympic Games, the Aquatic Centre was deconstructed to reduce its space. The frame wings on either side of the central space were removed, unbolted, and sold. The PVC wrap that temporarily enclosed the space was also sold, while the seats and toilets were reused elsewhere. As certain parts of the building were no longer needed, they were recycled via Vinyloop. This allowed the standards of the Olympic Delivery Authority
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) was a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, responsible for ensuring the delivery of venues, infrastructure and legacy for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games ...
concerning environmental protection to be met.
Capacity
During the Games the venue had a capacity of 17,500. The two temporary "wings" have been removed, reducing the capacity to a regular 2,800 with an additional 1,000 seats available for major events. Of all the swimming venues built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the Aquatics Centre is the only one that will remain afterwards, albeit in a downsized form.
Legacy
Since the Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
the venue has been modified, especially by removing the temporary seating that flanked the centre during the Games. It opened to the public on 1 March 2014. Admission prices are in line with local leisure centre
A leisure centre in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (also called aquatic centres), Singapore and Canada is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people ...
s.[
The adjacent Water Polo Arena was dismantled after the Olympic Games, which left the Aquatics Centre as the sole swimming venue at the park. The centre hosted the 2014 ]FINA
FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...
/NVC Diving World Series and the 2016 European Aquatics Championships
The 2016 European Aquatics Championships took place from 9 to 22 May 2016 in London, United Kingdom, in the London Aquatics Centre. It was the thirty second edition of the event, and the second held in the same year as a Summer Olympics. Hosts Gr ...
.
Comparable venues in England
*Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and outdoor athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace Exhibition building which ...
, London
*Ponds Forge
Ponds Forge International Sports Centre is a leisure complex in Sheffield, England, that contains an Olympic-sized swimming pool with seating for 2,600 spectators, family and children's pools (50 m Competition pool and 25 m diving p ...
, Sheffield
*John Charles Centre for Sport
The John Charles Centre for Sport is a sports facility in South Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It consists of the South Leeds Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Indoor Athletics Centre and Tennis Centre. It was previously named the South Leeds Stadium (a ...
, Leeds
*Manchester Aquatics Centre
The Manchester Aquatics Centre, abbreviated MAC, is a public aquatics sports facility south of the city centre of Manchester, England, north of the main buildings of the University of Manchester near Manchester Metropolitan University. It was ...
*Sunderland Aquatic Centre
Sunderland Aquatic Centre is an indoor sports complex next to the Stadium of Light in the city of Sunderland, England. It contains an Olympic-size swimming pool, a diving pool and a gymnasium. It is the only full Olympic-standard pool in North Ea ...
References
External links
*
{{Olympic venues synchronized swimming
Sports venues completed in 2011
2011 establishments in England
Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Paralympics
Olympic diving venues
Olympic modern pentathlon venues
Olympic swimming venues
Olympic synchronized swimming venues
Ove Arup buildings and structures
Swimming venues in London
Zaha Hadid buildings
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
2012 Summer Paralympic venues
Neo-futurism architecture
Stratford, London