London Aquatics Centre

The London Aquatics Centre is an indoor facility with two 50 metre swimming pools and a 25 metre diving pool, which will be one of the main venues of the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the London 2012 Summer Paralympics. Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Zaha Hadid, the centre is located in the Olympic Park at Stratford in east London. With its distinctive architecture and curved roof, it will be the first venue visitors see upon entering the Olympic Park.

Description

The centre will be used for the Olympic event of swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and water polo, and for the Paralympic event of swimming. During the Games it will have a capacity of 17,500, which will be reduced to 2,500 after the Games. It is expected that the centre will leave a legacy of replacing the pools at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in South London as London's leading facility for aquatic sports.

The Aquatics Centre contract was awarded to Balfour Beatty in April 2008. The roof is stated to be , a reduction from the previously stated .

Despite the cost...
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