London Aquatics Center

London aquatics center
Introduction:
• The Aquatics Centre is designed with an inherent flexibility to

accommodate 17,500 spectators for the London 2012 Games in ‘Olympic’
mode while also providing the optimum spectator capacity of 2000 for use
in ‘Legacy’ mode after the Games.
• Design concept:
• The architectural concept of the London Aquatic Centre is inspired by the
fluid geometries of water in motion, creating spaces and a surrounding
environment that reflect the riverside landscapes of the Olympic Park. An
undulating roof sweeps up from the ground as a wave - enclosing the
pools of the Centre with a unifying gesture of fluidity, while also describing
the volume of the swimming and diving pools.
Site:
• Site area:15950.0 m²
• Site Context:
The Aquatics Centre is within the Olympic Park Masterplan.
Positioned on the south eastern edge of the Olympic Park with
direct proximity to Stratford, a new pedestrian access to the
Olympic Park via the east-west bridge (called the Stratford City
Bridge) passes directly over the Centre as a primary gateway to the
Park. Several smaller pedestrian bridges will also connect the site
to the Olympic Park over the existing canal.
Expressionism:
• The pool hall is expressed above the podium by a large roof which arches along the
same axis as the pools. Its form is generated by the sightlines of the 17,500 spectators
in its Olympic mode.
• Double-curvature geometry has been used to generate a parabolic arch structure
that creates the unique characteristics of the roof.
• The roof undulates to differentiate between the volumes of competition pool and the
diving pool.
• Projecting beyond the pool hall envelope, the roof extends to the external areas and
to the main entrance on the bridge that will be the primary access in Legacy mode.
• Structurally, the roof is grounded at 3 primary positions with the opening between
the roof and podium used for the additional spectator seating in Olympic mode, then
in-filled with a glass façade in Legacy mode.
Parametic :
• The Aquatics Centre is planned on an orthogonal axis that is perpendicular to the

Stratford City Bridge.
• All three pools are aligned on this axis. The training pool is located under the bridge
with the competition and diving pools located within the large pool hall enclosed by
the roof.
• The overall strategy is to frame the base of the pool hall as a podium connected to
the Stratford City Bridge
• This podium element contains of a variety of differentiated and cellular programs
within a single architectural volume which is seen to be completely assimilated with
the bridge.
• The podium emerges from the bridge to cascade around the pool hall to the lower
level of the canal.
Interior images
Exterior
Structures:
• Some of the steel trusses of the roof are 40 meters long and weigh 70 tones. Spanning from north to south, they
cover the generously sized main area without any in-between supports. Just two slim concrete supports and a
concrete wall located opposite these at the southern end suffice to conduct the forces of the hidden steel-space
framework construction into the ground. As much as 2,800 tonnes of steel were needed to give the 160-metre-long
and 80-metre-wide roof its light and floating look.
• With a capacity of 17 500, the Aquatics Centre’s spectacular wave-like roof is 160m long and up to 80m wide –
giving it a longer single span than Heathrow Terminal 5. The venue’s roof proved to be one of the most complex
engineering challenges of the Olympic Park's big structures. This steel framework was initially constructed on
temporary supports, before the entire 3 000-ton structure was lifted up in a single movement and successfully
placed back down on to its permanent concrete supports. The large steel roof structure is only supported at three
points and spans the column-free space for the venues’ two swimming pools
• • A series of long span trusses forms the roof. They were erected in a fan arrangement to create the plan geometry
of the structure. • The middle truss has a span of approximately 120m to a primary truss, which in turn spans 54m
in a transverse direction between two concrete cores. • These center fan trusses cantilever beyond the primary
truss to form a 30m overhanging canopy at the northern end.
• The steel fan trusses of the roof are supported by a concrete wall to the south and two concrete cores to the north.
• 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. The new plans were unveiled on 27 November 2006. 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 in April 2008. At the same time, it was reported that the
centre would cost about three times as much as originally estimated, totaling about £242 million. The cost increases
were attributed to construction inflation and VAT 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, England. The terracing
units were delivered and positioned to accelerate the speed of construction. The unique six-board diving platform is
made from 462 tonnes of concrete. The aluminum roof covering was provided by Kalzip.
• The steel structure was built in cooperation with Rowecord Engineering, of Newport, Wales. The ceiling was built with
30,000 sections of Red Louro timber. The steel roof weighs 3,200 tones. 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 concerning
environmental protection to be met.
Budget:
• estimated cost £240 million

• construction cost £269 million
• The centre was originally estimated to cost £75m, however this has risen to £242m due to
inflation and VAT. Plans to let-out the stadium for public use after the Olympic Games have also
contributed to the rise in costs. In spite of the increase, the cost of the centre will still be within
the overall construction budget of £6.09bn.
• The original design of the centre was submitted to the London Development Agency in December
2005. It was later modified as the designed building was too large for the space allocated and also
exceeded the budgeted costs. The final design was revised and submitted in November 2006.

London Aquatics Center

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London aquatics center

• The Aquatics Centre is designed with an inherent flexibility to

• The Aquatics Centre is planned on an orthogonal axis that is perpendicular to the

• estimated cost £240 million

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