As the world turns its eyes to London in 2012, Design Stories examines the architecture and engineering behind the 2012 sporting venues. It provides a unique Olympic experience – a place where people can explore and view drawings, images, videos and amazingly detailed models of London’s key new sporting venues.
London: The Latest Architecture and News
Exhibition: "Design Stories - The Architecture behind 2012"
London 2012: Thinking Past Day 17 / Part III
In our final segment of Thinking Past Day 17 – our series examining the larger implications of hosting the Olympic Games – we conclude with ideas for the future host cities that involve dividing the Games across 7 permanent sites, complete with reusable architecture and a focus on sustainability at the urban level.
The effects of urban displacement coupled with post-Games housing concerns for the Athletes’ Village in Olympic Park – which we addressed in Part II - will definitely test the future viability of the Olympic Committee’s planning strategies. It is interesting to note that in relation to the entirety of the Olympic map, the area designated for the Village represents only a minuscule portion of the land that must be reintegrated post-Olympics. So, if we zoom out from the Athletes’ Village, what will become of the vast expanses of land currently supporting the major sporting facilities?
Hidden House / Teatum+Teatum
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Architects: Teatum+Teatum
Olympic Park replica made from LEGOs
With a quarter million LEGO bricks and 300 hours of finger intensive labor, Warren Elsmore and his wife constructed a mini replica of the 2012 Olympic Park in London. As Gizmodo reports, the model weighs about 80kg and would cost around $300,000 to build for scratch!
The miniature world is complete with Anish Kapoor’s Orbit, Zaha Hadid’s Aquatics Centre, Wilkinson Eyre Architects’ Basketball Arena, Hopkins Architects’ Velodrome, and Populous’ Olympic Stadium.
Continue after the break for a time-lapse video and more images.
Aqua at Dover Street Market / Zaha Hadid Architects
Dover Street Market has commissioned Zaha Hadid to design this site-specific installation to showcase in their London store during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The concept behind “Aqua” references the formal language of Hadid’s London Aquatics Centre.
Zaha Hadid: “Designing for Dover Street Market is an exciting opportunity to install a piece inspired by the fluid geometries of the London Aquatics Centre: a wave of liquid, frozen in time, right in the heart of London.”
Continue after the break for more images.
ArcelorMittal Orbit / Anish Kapoor
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Architects: Anish Kapoor
- Area: 114 m²
- Year: 2012
Bloomberg / Jump Studios
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Architects: Jump Studios
Wahaca Southbank Experiment / Softroom
Coca Cola Beatbox Pavilion / Pernilla & Asif
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Architects: Pernilla & Asif
- Year: 2012
Video: London & UK RedBall
This summer, New York artist Kurt Perschke brought his celebrated art project RedBall to the UK. Co-produced by Torbay Council and The Dartington Hall Trust, it arrived on the streets of the English Riviera in Torbay in June before touring to Plymouth, Exeter, Weymouth & Portland and London, finishing the tour at Dartington Hall and popping up in a total of 20 sites. The project engaged thousands of people on its tour of alleyways, underpasses, high streets, town squares, heritage sites and bridge arches across the country. Alongside the tour, the RedBall UK education project worked with hundreds of young people and staff in 5 schools to raise the aspirations and achievements of Year 6 pupils. Text Courtesy of Danny Cooke. For more information on RedBall UK, please visit here.
White Cube Bermondsey / Casper Mueller Kneer Architects
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Architects: Casper Mueller Kneer Architects
- Area: 5440 m²
- Year: 2011
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Manufacturers: Kingspan Insulated Panels, Barrisol, Bolichwerke, Eutrac, Peneder, +2
OMA Appointed To Revamp London's Morden Wharf
OMA announced today that they have been appointed as the masterplanners and lead architects of a mixed-use development in London. Morden Wharf, a 19 acre regeneration site on Greenwich Peninsula, will become a 2 million square foot “premier entertainment zone.”
Reinier de Graaf, the partner who will be leading the project with Ellen van Loon, said, "Our Vision for Morden Wharf adds value to an already impressive site through regeneration of existing buildings and infrastructure which will attract visitors and residents to the sites cultural, residential, leisure, and commercial offerings. We look forward to the development of an innovative proposal which will enhance Morden Wharf's exceptional character."
Check out OMA's press release after the break...
London 2012 Basketball Arena / Wilkinson Eyre Architects
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Architects: WilkinsonEyre
- Area: 11500 m²
- Year: 2011
The Tanks Open / Tate Modern / Herzog + de Meuron
With the success of the Tate Modern (the museum hosts approximately 2 million visitors a year), in 2005, the museum selected Herzog and de Meuron to expand its gallery space by nearly 70%. Since that time, we have shared the transformation of the design which began as an irregularly stacked pyramid of glass boxes to a geometric faceted volume clad in perforated brick. Yet, the expansion plans also include a vital component that is buried underground – the Tanks – which opened earlier this week.
More about the Tanks after the break.
London Festival of Architecture 2012 / Nicholas Kirk Architects
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Architects: Nicholas Kirk Architects
- Area: 50 m²
- Year: 2012
Video: London Pleasure Garden
Rear House Extension, Garden Design / LBMV Architects - Luigi Montefusco
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Architects: LBMV Architects
- Year: 2011