Close-up view of part of the London Aquatics Centre, in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London
The London Aquatics Centre is an indoor facility with two 50-metre (160-foot) swimming pools and a 25-metre (82-foot) diving pool in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at Stratford, London. The centre, one of the main venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics, was used for the swimming, diving and synchronised swimming events. After significant modification, the centre opened to the public in March 2014. The centre was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid in 2004 before London won the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. It was built alongside the Water Polo Arena and opposite the Olympic Stadium on the opposite bank of the Waterworks River. The site is 45 metres (148 feet) high, 160 metres (520 feet) long, and 80 metres (260 feet) wide. The wave-like roof is stated to be 11,200 square feet (1,040 m2), a reduction from the previously stated 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2). The design was inspired by the Dollan Aqua Centre in East Kilbride, Scotland.[citation needed] The complex has a 50-m competition pool, a 25-m competition diving pool and a 50-m warm-up pool.[2] The 50-m pool is 3 metres deep, like the one in the Beijing National Aquatics Center, in order to be fast.[3] Its floor can be moved to reduce its depth.[4] There are also moveable booms that allow its size to be changed.[2] The diving pool has platform boards at heights of 3 m, 5 m, m, and 10 m and three 3m springboards.[5] For the television coverage of the Olympics, the pools were also equipped with innovative cameras in order to present the action from multiple angles.[6] Because the centre was designed before the Olympic bid was completed, the spectator wings were not part of the original design. They were later added to fit the estimated audience. Jacques Rogge, IOC President, described the Centre as a "masterpiece.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Olympic Aquatics Centre, London, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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