Aquatics Centre (London)
The Aquatics Centre prior to opening, in 2012
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| Location |
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park London, E20 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°32′25″N 0°00′38″W / 51.5402°N 0.0106°WCoordinates: 51°32′25″N 0°00′38″W / 51.5402°N 0.0106°W |
| Public transit |
     Stratford Stratford International
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| Operator | Greenwich Leisure Limited |
| Capacity | 17,500 (2,500 post-Olympics) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 2008 |
| Built | 27 July 2011 |
| Construction cost | £269 million |
| Architect | Zaha Hadid Architects |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
| General contractor | Balfour Beatty |
| Tenants | |
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2012 Summer Olympics 2012 Summer Paralympics 2016 European Aquatics Championships |
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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, it was one of the main venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics. The centre was used for the swimming, diving and synchronised swimming events. After significant modification the centre opened to the public in March 2014.
It was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid in 2004 before London won the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The centre 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.
The complex has a 50m competition pool, a 25m competition diving pool and a 50m warm-up pool. The 50m pool is 3 metres deep, like the one in the Beijing National Aquatics Center, in order to be fast. Its floor can be moved to reduce the depth. There are also moveable booms that allow its size to be changed. The diving pool has platform boards at heights of 3m, 5m, 7.5m and 10m and three 3m springboards. For the television coverage of the Olympics, the pools were also equipped with innovative cameras in order to present the action from multiple angles.
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