Tuesday, September 13, 2011

DesignBoom: on the London Aquatics Center




DesignBoom.com has a glorious portfolio of the London Aquatics Center. This structure may be the last great pool built for an Olympic Games. I would like to believe that other great pools such as this will be created as a cultural accomplishment but after seeing what happened to the Athens pool and now the Beijing Aquatics center being converted into a silly water park, I am not optimistic.

The popularity of the Olympics is waning and the popularity of swimming may be waning with it for the Olympics is truly the only "Superbowl" for competitive swimming.

From DesignBoom:

Construction for the 'london aquatics centre' for the london 2012 summer olympics by zaha hadid architects is now complete. capable of holding 17,500 individuals at one moment, this facility will be the venue for the swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo events. sheltering the sports events, athletes and supporters is an aluminum clad steel roof which spans 160 meters in length and 90 meters at its widest point. three substantial concrete columns effortlessly support the 3,000 ton sweeping overhead structure. the double curvature parabolic structure visually evokes the form of an undulating wave. on the interior, 850,000 tiles surface the pools, changing facilities and and floors. the cluster of concrete towers including the three meter springboards and diving platforms were formed and cast onsite.

2 comments:

Radu said...

That is one amazing building , i hope they won't turn it in to a silly aquapark when the olympics are over .

Swimming Lessons Melbourne said...

That was a beautiful swimming pool design, I’m sure many people will love to swim in that beautiful pool and I guess if swimming lessons will be conducted there; many people will love to come and watch. It’s really a nice pool and a beautiful place.