Designed to be a commercial centrepiece for the London 2012 Olympic Games and its following legacy, Stratford City is a large mixed-use development anchored by a Westfield shopping centre, a Premier Inn hotel, and a mixture of offices and other amenities.

This is what was originally proposed in 2007:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1314/649128203_091d4bd596_o.jpg

As construction began in 2008, the design was largely altered, rationalising the overall design.

This is the finished product:

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6862/110714odamdaac113hi.jpg
Courtesy to the spliff fairy for image

Office building
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/6018116637_33a52f83ab_b.jpg
Courtesy to wawd for the image

Hotel
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Et97hCglB-8/TkuBw6JnumI/AAAAAAAABiw/g7Xyr-br3FM/s576/100_0666.JPG
Courtesy to the spliff fairy

Bus Station
http://i56.tinypic.com/rv9d7l.jpg

You can continue to track the progress of this development through to its opening next week:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=544744&page=45

The tall buildings are in Phase 2 to begin in 2013.

*fixed :)

4.

Functional, but if Media City managed to win the Carbuncle Cup this year, Stratford City gets my vote for next years prize.

I voted 2 as they obviously scraped through with the bare minimum required for the concept of a shopping mall.

It is also as much about the potential for the site, was hoping for so much more seeing as this was brownfield land and a time to reinvent peoples general idea of East London.

Instead it has just merely reinforced it, begging bowl in hand from the local authority and developer value engineering because they didn't think it was worth the expense.

Good grief, that is horrific! And it's the centrepiece to the games? Fucking hell, they may as well have dumped the old Birmingham Bull Ring on here.

If you ever wanted an example of value engineering, its right here!!

Awful.

Compare this to say Liverpool 1 where they actually did something special in my eyes, this is a huge step backwards for the London and the UK. It's as if we have learnt nothing about mega malls then again this is Westfield not a UK company so I expected as much. The blame too should be vented at Newham council for allowing this to happen and bowing down to every whim Westfeild obviously imposed on them. Oh and where are the green roofs? no where! funny that.

Westfield - doing what Arndale were doing 40 years ago :ohno:

I like the interior, the lights and John Lewis, gets a 7 from me.

I'm not counting the Premier Inn as part of that, and also the pictures above only show the not so good part of the centre, come on, the 2nd photo is of the bus station behind it!

Here's some better photo's

Pictures,Pictures,Pictures! :)

http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e6f5bac69bedde45000002d-915/the-center-was-opened-today-by-london-mayor-boris-johnson.jpg
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e6f692469bedd796e00001e-915/at-19-million-square-feet-of-retail-and-leisure-space-it-is-europes-largest-shopping-center.jpg
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e6f5ba96bb3f75055000019-915/it-cost-145-billion-229-billion-to-build.jpg
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e6f5bb5ecad04e34b000029-915/a-sister-site-in-west-london-was-previously-europes-largest-shopping-center.jpg
The Bathrooms
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e6f5db269bedd2a51000044-915/heres-a-glimpse-of-the-bathrooms.jpg
Back to the center
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e6f5ba5ecad04be40000051-915/the-site-has-5000-parking-spaces-and-will-offer-free-parking-to-shoppers-on-tuesdays.jpg
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e6f5bb469bedd7653000016-915/however-westfield-stratford-has-angered-some-local-business-owners-who-fear-they-will-not-be-able-to-compete.jpg
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4e6f694c69bedd796e000024-915/the-site-as-it-looks-now.jpg
http://www.retail-week.com/pictures/566x362fitpad[0]/1/1/9/1252119_Waitrose_Stratford_City_3MR.jpg
http://www.retail-week.com/pictures/566x362fitpad[0]/1/4/1/1252141_WestfieldCrowds__2__Westfield_Stratford.jpg
http://www.retail-week.com/pictures/566x362fitpad[0]/1/6/0/1252160_John_Lewis_Stratford_City__1_.jpg



Here are some of my (blurry) pictures:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1436.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1438.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1439.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1440.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1441.jpg

My favourite shot of yesterday:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1442.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1443.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1445.jpg

Yummy gyros and souvlaki! (Cheaper than the Real Greek too)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1446.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1451.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1453.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1454.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1455.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1457.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1458.jpg

Interior of The Sting:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1460.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1462.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1463.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1464.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1467.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1469.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1470.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a299/tripleseis81/IMAG1477.jpg

This eastern market business looks interesting.

8/10, its hard to make a shopping mall look nice! I think they have done a good job! Westfield go a good job with their slightly up market style and choice of shops inside!

Reminds me a tad of those Mall-rail complexes you get somewhere like Tokyo or Osaka, from the outside at least.

I think this is the type of building that you have to see yourself to give a fair rating as its merits lie as much in the experience of being there as they do in it's architecture.. Not many malls/shopping centres look great from the exterior.

Finally London gets an Australian Touch the original plan looked alot better. Probably nimbyism that held it back.

But some of Westfields in Sydney are like this

Westfield Sydney City Outside
http://www.sydneyarchitecture.com/images/11-hero_01_sydney.jpg

Inside
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcJz18O_eCwl9YBSB1XHl66bzyY79C6A9s0v075-ca1VYQHrQIhjI3IrFVKw

Westfield Bondi
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJZCQfDdqoYTs6pzmHS9v0SbwO_kGG4NENdtX9Djd1VslCebixmg

Westfield Bondi Inside
http://www.adnews.com.au/images/dmImage/StandardImage/Westfield_mid1.jpg

Westfield Parramatta Sydney
http://www.aussietrueblue.com/westfields-parramatta.jpg

There are so many I can post but I think you get the point. Westfield is Australia's no 1 mall they are literally scattered everywhere and they have some decent designs also but then again most of the major cities in australia create buildings that a quite funky so it doesnt really stand out as much like it would in a more historical city like london

^^
Carn HZZBT, you can do better than renders for Westfield Sydney!

Here are some interior and exterior shots of Westfield Sydney, for comparison's sake

Interiors:
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2696/westfieldsydney4.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/westfieldsydney4.jpg/)

http://www.news.com.au/business/gallery-e6frflwr-1225944626325

Rest are my pics;
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6199443008_40f35a32c8.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6199465372_a988a5c9db.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6199514534_b5a39ceae1.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6198999663_ca18cca2bc.jpg

Exterior;
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6199438902_3c5cd110b8.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/6199434714_894f5eab28.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/6199449762_94c893c87f.jpg

8/10 very big

http://i42.tinypic.com/72rlp2.jpg

6/10

Quite like it to be honest, and I don't think people will really focus on the architecture come 2012 games.

4/10 boring...