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Aquatics Centre Construction Thread


Rob2012

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It looks like Calatrava has stolen Hadid's 2012 blueprints and imposed his skeletal style upon them :)

I think that's a good thing Mo, before you ask...

I'll take Calatrava and Hadid as a huge compliment.

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'kevzz' date='Jul 20 2009, 02:06 PM' post='210475']

If you think rationally, the wrap plays a very functional role of the temp stand.

Apart from protecting the spectators from the unpredictable British summer, the internal volume needs to be covered for HDTV broadcast. The mesh also as mentioned disguise the massive scaffolding structure. With a roof over the seating, it will also provide support structure for lighting and speakers etc.

Other Olympic pools have been outdoors ( Athens, LA etc) and acted as fantastic venues. Thats my main problem with this venue, why hide the temporary nature of it? Acknowledge that 15,000 seats will be getting removed after the games and that they are temporary. Right now I think it looks 'contrived' as it's like the venue is trying to hide it's temporary stands and just looks ungainly. The venue looks clunky and a mismash of styles - exposing the stands would 'lighten' the appearance of the venue IMO.

The British summer isn't so bad. Football, tennis, rugby all happen outdoors. The weather wouldn't affect the athletes as they are indoors - outdoor swimming isn't bad anyway (water polo arena is supposedly outdoors).

If its just the temp seating exposed like that, it will be so hideous and looks half-baked with a naked Legacy roof standing with two massive stand at the side. Not to mention all the messy scaffolding being exposed, extra tall light towers to illuminate the temp seating at night and moaning spectators should it rain all the time.

Scaffolding can be elegant. See my pictures I posted of the Foreign Office architects design. I don't understand what you are saying about " a naked legacy roof standing with two massive stand at the side..." In my opinion there would be an architectural juxtiposition between Zaha Hadids 'main legacy structure' and the temporary stands just like the pics I posted. Imagine a beautiful golf course (permanent) and how for majors temporary stands are installed.

Think about it.

Erm..... I have and am merely relaying my opinion.

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Being a swimmer (I swam for Palomar Community College for two years) the aquatics center looks awesome. Wonder how fast it will be compated to the Cube in Bejing.

Hard to guess.

I suppose the pool is only as fast as the swimmer in it. But didn't Beijing's pool have an extra lane which helped distribute water turbulence or something?

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I suppose the pool is only as fast as the swimmer in it. But didn't Beijing's pool have an extra lane which helped distribute water turbulence or something?

- Depth

- Width

- Style of Edge

They all make a difference.

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The wave-shaped Aquatics Centre roof has been successfully lifted and lowered into place completing what was one of the most complex engineering and construction challenges of the Olympic Park ‘big build’.

The 160m long sweeping roof frame of the Zaha Hadid designed Aquatics Centre, weighing over 3000 tonnes and resting on just three concrete supports, will be the gateway to the Olympic Park. In legacy the venue will provide two 50m swimming pools, a diving pool and dry diving area for community and elite use.

The roof steel was fabricated in Newport from plate rolled in Gateshead, Motherwell and Scunthorpe, assembled on the Aquatics Centre site and connected together 20m off the ground on temporary supports. The completed roof frame was then carefully lifted over 1m at one end and lowered into its permanent position with the temporary supports removed.

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Raising the roof

In March 2009 the ‘big lift’ began of the 160m long and up to 90m wide roof which rests on two concrete supports at the northern end and a 28m long and 5m wide, supporting ‘wall’ at its southern end.

A huge 30m steel truss weighing over 70 tonnes was lifted into place on top of the southern wall and connected to ten steel trusses each made up of four sections which in total will span up to 120m to the two northern roof supports.

The steel trusses were fabricated in Newport from plate rolled in Gateshead, Motherwell and Scunthorpe, assembled on the Aquatics Centre site and connected together 20m off the ground on three rows of temporary support trestles.

Once the steel frame was complete it was lifted over a metre at its southern end, turning on rotating joints in the northern roof supports. The top of the temporary trestles was removed and the 160m long roof frame lowered on to its three permanent roof supports.

As the full weight of the roof rested on its supports is slid approximately 20cm into its joints on the southern wall. The roof has been designed to stretch, twist and contract in response to the effects of snow, wind and changing temperatures.

Temporary trestles, which have now all been removed, were taken out in phases to enable work to continue beneath the roof, including the digging out and concreting of the venue’s two 50 metre swimming pools and 25 metre diving pool.

Work will begin this autumn on the aluminium roof covering, half of which is recycled, and early next year installation will start on the timber cladding of the12,000 metre squared ceiling which will sweep outside to cover the northern roof supports. Red Lauro from sustainable sources has been selected as the ceiling timber that will combine the required level of durability and visual impact.

Work is well underway on the 250m and 45m wide land bridge that forms the main pedestrian entrance to the Games from the Stratford City development, spanning the Aquatics Centre and forming the roof of the training pool.

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