[amor de cosmos]

- More than 3,000 tons of structural steel went into the Aquatics Centre's sweeping roof — about 10 times the amount, needed for the Velodrome's cable-net roof, which has only a slightly smaller span. However, Jim Heverin, associate director of Zaha Hadid Architects, defended the firm's design, saying, "The roof’s wave form differentiates the diving from the pool area." He added that "the necessary spans and loadings dictated the structure. Our prime concern was in ensuring a column-free space." To do this the aluminium-clad roof could bear off only three points — a wall on the south and two cores to the north. "These constraints forced the steel structure to work harder," he explained.

- Hyped as the key building of the Olympic Park complex, the Aquatics Centre has instead found itself fighting for attention with the Velodrome, which cost just $152 million and has received much critical praise for its spare structural design. British critics have cited the Velodrome as the odds-on favourite to win this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize. But Hadid brushed off any hint of living in its shadow. "Ours is the second biggest venue [the main stadium is bigger], holding three times the Velodrome’s capacity [in Games mode], so they are not really comparable," she said. "And anyway, the park is big enough for two or three good projects. [Ours] is not the only beauty queen here."

http://archrecord.construction.com/n...ics-Centre.asp