LONDON | 2012 Olympics Park Development News

[MasonicStage™]

Originally Posted by DarJoLe

None of the venues in that diagram above are the final designs, except for the Aquatic Centre.

yes...i just wanted to ask that. I noticed that olympic stadium looks a bit different from what i saw on olympic magazine on TV.

[jak3m]

After the Games the Olympic Park will be transformed into the largest urban park created in Europe for more than 150 years


Getting ready: Aquatics Centre
Detailed designs for the venue by architect Zaha Hadid were released in November 2006, in line with the design competition held in early 2005.

The procurement process for the construction contractor is underway, with the preferred contractor due to be chosen in early 2008.

Preparatory works for construction have been taking place throughout 2007. The demolition of all the buildings has been completed and the soil in the area is being cleaned and sorted for reuse on the Park site.

Archaeological investigations are almost complete and 450m of new river walls have been installed to widen the river to the south west of the Centre.

The planning submission for the Aquatics Centre will be made in January 2008 to enable construction to start in summer 2008 and finish in 2011, in time for test events before the Games.

During the Games
The Aquatics Centre will host a range of events including Swimming, Synchronised Swimming, Diving, Water Polo finals and Modern Pentathlon. The capacity will be 17,500 seats for the main competition pool and Diving and 5,000 seats for the Water Polo venue.

The Aquatics Centre will also incorporate a crèche, family-friendly changing facilities and café amenities alongside a new public plaza directly in front of the building.

After the Games
The Aquatics Centre will be adapted to 2,500 seats with capacity to be increased to 3,500 for major competitions. The pools will be a new facility for club, school and community swimming.

The Centre will be integrated with Stratford City and other regeneration projects to help regenerate the Lower Lea Valley.
The Water Polo venue will be taken down and relocated elsewhere if possible.

OLYMPIC STADIUM

NEW DESIGN RENDER^

OLD RENDER^
Olympic stadium:
During the Games
Venue Olympic Stadium view from inside during Games 340x185
The Olympic Stadium will seat 80,000 and will be the main venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. All Athletics events will take place in the Stadium as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, watched by millions of people around the world.

After the Games
After the Games the Stadium will be converted to a 25,000 seat Athletics stadium, providing a lasting legacy with a range of facilities available for elite competitors and the local community.

[somataki]

After the Games the Olympic Park will be transformed into the largest urban park created in Europe for more than 150 years

Correct me if I am wrong, but the biggest urban park in Europe won't be -after 2012- the Hellenikon Metropolitan Park in Athens (1,000 acres)?

[SouthernEuropean]

so the stadium's gonna have those athlete figures as well..or not?

[DarJoLe]

Originally Posted by SouthernEuropean

so the stadium's gonna have those athlete figures as well..or not?

The art on the 'wrap' isn't finalised yet, it's most likely o be a collection of images from past Olympics, British sporting heroes and lots of colour from the 2012 brand.

After the Games it's going to cut up and recycled, and its planned to be cut up into 80,000 pieces and given to every spectator who attended the Opening Ceremony.

[Artemis]

The Aquatics Centre looks great. Isn´t it? Smooth and sleek desiged. Like a whale in the deep sea.

[archy_]

The new render of stadium is nothing special... IMO the old was better...

[DarJoLe]

It doesn't need to be anything special as two thirds of it will be demolished after the Games.

[jak3m]

Btw, the blobby buildings around the outside of the stadium are toilets/help desks/food courts and so on.
there will be no food available inside the stadium thats to reduce fire hazards and stuff..

[Second City]

I like the old one better.

[jak3m]

i do too

[DCKL]

The initial design for the olympic stadium was far more interesting than the new one and I was really looking forward to seeing it built. The new one isn't anything special and doesn't reflect British talent, nothing about it stands out.

[SuburbanWalker]

I think I'll go with the new design. It's more classy and will probably withstand the test of time better.

[Sexas]

no suburbanwalker, Olympic is not a time building classic, it is time to show-off the best of UK to the world. In this case...bad logo and not so good stadium (I like the old one too) , and they try to say they will be a better show that the Chinese and the Australian one....funny to see how it will turn out.

[DarJoLe]

The UK and London doesn't need to show off - everyone all over the globe knows what London is like. It doesn't need to prove anything.

The stadium is designed the way it is because the outer sections of it will be taken apart after the Games, because London doesn't need another 80,000 spectator stadium. London will be the first Olympics where there will be no white elephants after the Games have left London.

[somataki]

White elephants doesnt exist for the past 3 OG as I know. In Athens all the stadiums and the rest infrastucture are now in use or remaking for convention centers/shopping centers etc...

[somataki]

Originally Posted by DarJoLe

The UK and London doesn't need to show off - everyone all over the globe knows what London is like. It doesn't need to prove anything.

So Beijing Athens had to show off?? Anyone knows that Athens is the historic capital of Europe and has an incredible history and monuments, anyone knows how glorious and historic city Beijing is as well. The cities that host the OG have nothing to proove to the world, are already famous and world wide known. And exactly because everyone all over the globe knows what London is like, that's why everyone expected a state of art design for the main olympic stadium..

[DarJoLe]

Not really. Sydney, Athens and Beijing were all trying to push themselves further onto the world stage through their Olympic Games. Athens built iconic stadia but now have the problem of them being white elephants. Beijing are building permanent iconic venues because China is using the Olympics as a 'coming out' process to be the new superpower and needs these venues. London is pioneering legacy and building venues for their use after the Games and not during, that's why the aquatic centre and stadium have temporary seats during the Games.

London isn't building an 'iconic' stadium because it's not using its Olympics to push itself on the world stage - it's already there. Also the stadium won't exist as a 80,000 seater after the Games so isn't wasting money on building something flamboyant that is only there for a few weeks.

As has been said before (and which so many people seem to be unable to understand) is that the London Games are not going to be anything to do with patriotism, London or Britain in an overt way, but more returning the Olympic movement to its understated humble beginnings, and not the architectural nationalistic-hijacking that it has become in the last twenty years or so. This games is all about the youth from all over the world and getting them interested in the Olympic movement, which is why the logo and the 2012 brand is the way it is, and why there will be so many kids in the Beijing handover ceremony and at the opening ceremony. London is re-inventing what an Olympic Games is all about.

[Avens]

I don't know if that's the right attitude. "London doesn't have to prove anything". I mean it doesn't, but we wanted the olympics so we could put on a show and take the responsibility to make it as awesome as possible. And who doesn't want to provide the world with the best olympics.

On the other hand, those who think we're going to screw it up, like our Texan friend above seems to, are going to be proven completely wrong. It'll come together fantastically IMO in the world's greatest city.

[somataki]

Originally Posted by DarJoLe

Athens built iconic stadia but now have the problem of them being white elephants.

Can u name more than 1-2 stadia from a total of 20 which are not in use after the games??????