DESIGN INSPIRATION AT QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK TEACHING RESOURCE:

Introduction Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park offers a visitor experience like no other. Previously the site of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics Games, the Park is now becoming a world- class destination for people to live, work, play, and visit time and time again. From , early planning began for what the Olympic park would eventually become and in 2008, construction for the 2012 Games began. In summer 2012, four billion people tuned in to watch athlete’s complete on the Park. Within 18 months, the Park has been transformed and the Copperbox Arena, London Aquatics centre, Lea Valley Velopark, Eton Manor, Arcelor Mittal Orbit and 8,000 homes at East village, all reopened to the public. This is the fastest that any Olympic park has been transformed from it’s Games time mode to it’s long term state. London has set a new benchmark in securing a successful Olympic Legacy. The Olympic Park aims to become a new heart of east London, full of activity; from local to national and international sporting competitions in the five world-class venues, to concerts, festivals, art, culture and community engagement programmes and much more.

Introduction Design and innovation are fundamental to the way Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has developed. You can see the evidence of this through the world class venues, the carefully crafted biodiversity and landscape features and the public realm. The design process behind the Park has had to consider; environmental sustainability, the change of use from 2012 Games time to long term uses, value for money, as well as local, national and international context. The following information helps give a flavour of some of the design inspiration at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, through a selection of venues, the landscape and the London 2012 Games uniforms. There are also suggestions of where to go for more information about the Park and it’s design significance You can also find our free Park trails at the Information centre on the Park or download our learning resources from

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LONDON AQUATICS CENTRE The Aquatics Centre was designed by Architect Zaha Hadid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics. During the Games it had large yellow wings at the sides to accommodate extra seating. These were removed after the Games to reveal the beautiful glass curves of the sides of the building. It opened in March 2014 and has already had over visitors. The London Aquatics Centre offers a wide-ranging programme of activities, from inflatable challenge and family sessions, school swimming lessons to a world class diving academy and swimming competitions. There are 2,500 seats and 2 x 50m pools 1 x 25 m diving pool. The 2 50 m pools have moveable floors and booms so that the size and depth of the pools can be changed! The structural system used to create the form of the roof comprises of a series of long-span steel trusses laid in a fan arrangement to support the weight and shape of the roof. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London BEFORE AFTER

ARCELORMITTAL ORBIT  The Arcelor Mittal Orbit was built in 2012 by artist Sir Anish Kapoor & designer Cecil Balmond.  It is metres tall and made from recycled steel, the orbit is recognised as UK’s tallest sculpture.  The inspiration behind the Areclor Mittal Orbit was apparently the 5 twisted and interconnected Olympic rings.  It provide visitors with stunning views over the Park and across London’s famous skyline.  It creates a new landmark in east London and hosts a range of events and activities. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Dispo DayEvening hhttp://queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the- park/attractions/arcelormittal-orbit

LEA VALLEY VELODROME Lea Valley Velodrome is the first place in the world where four types of cycling takes place; track cycling, road racing, BMX & mountain biking. It was designed by Hopkins Architects. The Velodrome has 6,000 seats and the capacity to host international cycling events and competitions. The roof is designed in it’s famous ‘Pringle’ type shape to help capture rain water that is then used within the venue as part of the grey water recyling system which helps keep water consumption down. Another huge advantage of the Velodrome is the window gantry that allows a lot of natural light in reducing the need for electric lighting and the low cable net roof reduces the amount of heat and ventilation used to control the building’s temperature.

2012 GARDENS  The 2012 gardens celebrate contemporary horticulture and planting. They represent a living timeline of Britain's long history of exploration, trade, and plant collecting and its impact on the richness and diversity of British gardens.  The gardens stretch for nearly 1 km and the plants themselves were carefully selected not only for their beauty but also for their durability and value in attracting bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and other species for increasing biodiversity  The 2012 Gardens were designed in by some of the world’s leading landscape architects and world-famous garden designer Piet Oudolf, Nigel Dunnett and many others.  Based in the southern area of the Park, the 2012 Gardens draw inspiration from distinctive characteristics of plant communities in the wild in Europe, North America, the Southern Hemisphere, and Asia.  Explore the Gardens in more depth with the 2012 Gardens app. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Dispo © Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Dispo

TUMBLING BAY PLAYGROUND  The name ‘Tumbling Bay’ was named after an ancient stream that used to run under where the playground is.  Tumbling Bay playground, which has proved hugely popular with children and adults, focuses on natural play and encourages children to play in the landscape around them. It includes features such as water fountains, sand pits, tree houses and climbing walls, etc.  Next to the playground is Timber lodge cafe which is made from sustainable Timber and run by a social enterprise; Unity Kitchen Cafe, who help people with disabilities into work. 36% of the people who work at Timber Lodge have a disability.

STELLA MCCARTNEY UNIFORMS  In 2012, Stella McCartney was the creative director behind the 2012 Team GB uniforms.  The collaboration with Adidas marks the first time a fashion designer has created national uniforms for athletes across all 26 Olympic and Paralympic sports. From fencing to field hockey, the goal was to make everyone feel part of one team.  They had to make stylish and practical uniforms for 541 of Great Britain’s athletes.  Stella’s inspiration was a modern take ont he Union Jack and the uniforms included the Olympic and Paralympic team GB competition kit as well as training gear, medal ceremonies and relaxation wear - also known as village wear. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Dispo

Further Resources Links to Images & Information:

Further Resources Video – A short video about the Velopark and it’s whereabouts. – A short video of how the Aquatics centre looks like. – A tour of the Arcelormittal Orbit. – A tour of the landscape & 2012 gardens. More Info:

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