ZAHA Hadid, an Iraqi architect, will design London's Olympic Aquatics Centre. The winning design for the centre, which will form part of London's Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympic Games, has a spectacular, sinuous S-shaped roof inspired by the flow of water, that is certain to make it a London landmark. "Zaha Hadid's exceptional winning design gives a taste of just what we can offer and makes London's bid to host the Games even more compelling," London Mayor Ken Livingstone said. "This is an outstanding design that will create a spectacular building, delivering the essential 'wow' factor for the 2012 Games," Keith Mills, chief executive of London 2012, said: "It will then be cleverly transformed following the Games by taking away the majority of the 20,000 seats, which will not be needed, turning it into more intimate spaces suitable for community use. It gives the community a lasting sporting legacy." "We have chosen a design which will not only create a state- of-the-art environment for Olympic swimmers but will also provide a lasting legacy for swimming in London," Lord Carter of Coles, chair of Sport England and panel co-chair, said. "The centre will have the ability to be used by elite swimmers, local clubs, universities, schools and most importantly of all, the local community." "This building has an exceptional sculptural quality that will make it a wonderful building to visit, attracting people to East London. It sets the standard for architectural quality in this key regeneration area," Lord Rogers, of the Richard Rogers Partnership, who co- chaired the panel that chose the design, said. The Aquatics Centre design includes two 50m competition pools and a competition diving pool. It also has 20,000 spectator seats and all the 'back of house' facilities required for an Olympic Games. The design will especially appeal to swimmers because each pool has an arena around it for spectators, creating a unique atmosphere. After the Games, the centre design can be converted, with the pools dividing into different spaces, making it easy for community and elite swimmers of different abilities to use. The centre will also have an extensive health and fitness area to contribute to the long- term viability of the building.
