Olympic Architecture

Monday, June 15, 2009

We use architecture as an indicator of culture, history, and status. There’s no doubt that London’s Olympic venues are anything short of spectacular modern design. The committee has implemented some of the world’s best architects and designers to complete their masterful Olympic Park. The new venues are extremely contemporary and modern, yet will stand as landmarks for future generations. Their hope is that these venues, after the games, will be reusable for the London community. The biggest project, the Olympic Stadium, needs to be spectacular to compete with the recent Beijing games in 2008, and it will be with a 900m circumference. The proposed plan is a devised of a radical curve clad seemingly in bubble wrap, which will become a mural of sporting champions, flags, and sponsors. The stunning fact is that after the games, because there is no use for such a huge stadium, they will shrink the seating size from 80,000 to 25,000.

Other projects include the aquatics center designed by Zaha Hadid. The plan calls for a 160m long innovative steel structure with a striking aluminum cover. The firm has been working with engineers as it seems too complicated to be built. After testing timber cladding for 12 months, it has been approved to be built and should be installed in 2010. The facility will hold two 50m pools, a diving pool, and a bridge that will serve as the main pedestrian gateway into the Olympic Park. After the 2008 England cycling team placed so well, the Olympic committee has planned to create a world class cycling venue, the VeloPark which will seat 6,000. Hopkins Architects are leading the modern architecture world with this plan to create an indoor circuit, with BMX events, mountain biking courses, and cycle routes that will lead across London. The plan is to leave this as a permanent venue as the sport of cycling has grown tremendously in the past year.