[nito]

London 2012 Olympic Village

The Olympic Village is coming along well - Pics sourced by DarJoLe at SSC.








London 2012 Water Polo Venue

Images and text sourced by Mo Rush over at SSC.

The Water Polo venue is part of the Aquatics Centre, which forms the gateway to the Olympic Park in Stratford. The venue is a temporary structure to host the Olympic Water Polo events.



Over the next few months, the Olympic Delivery Authority will be seeking detailed planning approval to build the temporary venue. The planning submission will describe the size and scale of the venue in addition to how it will look and operate during the 2012 Games. It is intended that construction will start in March 2011.

Timeline
May 2010 - Planning submission for Water Polo venue
Spring 2011 - Construction due to start
Summer 2012 - Olympic and Paralympic Games
After the Games - Venue is taken down

Design
During the Games the Water Polo venue will provide seating for 5,000 spectators. The building will accommodate two swimming pools; one will be used by the athletes to ‘warm up’ and the second is where the Water Polo competitions will take place.

Spectators will be seated across two stands, in an asymmetrical seating bowl which will provide a fantastic view of the action.
The venue structure and elements will be dismantled after the Games for use elsewhere as there is no long-term need for a venue of this capacity in east London, given the other new permanent venues that will remain in the Park after 2012 such as the Aquatics Centre.

Access and Inclusion
The Water Polo venue has been designed so that both spectators and athletes can enjoy the facilities equally, regardless of disability, age, ethnicity, gender, or faith. For example, the venue will feature step-free access for spectators, athletes and support staff.
Accessible seating will be positioned to provide fantastic views for all competitions.

Getting to the action
Most spectators will get to the Water Polo venue through one of the three ‘gateway’ stations – Stratford Regional, Stratford International or West Ham. Spectators will also be able to use a number of walking and cycle routes to reach the venue.

After the Games
The Water Polo venue will be temporary and the site is intended to be cleared ready for long-term development by the Olympic Park Legacy Company, following the dismantling of the venue after the Games. The venue will utilise a modular construction method designed to minimise environmental impact and maximise potential for reuse.




London 2012 Aquatic Centre

And to think that the original plan had this at three times the size! Images sourced by DarJoLe at SSC, taken by viks2 on flickr.










London 2012 Area

SSC forum member El Greco took a tour around the (Hackney Wick) area surrounding the Olympic Park. Quite a lot of the area is desolate former industrial units and warehouses, but will over the coming years be gentrified.






























London 2012 Basketball Arena

The arena is having its wrap installed which will be lit up by LED's. Pic sourced by DarJoLe on SSC, taken by viks2 on flickr