London 2012 Olympic Waterpolo Arena
- Status
- Completed 2012
- Client
- Olympic Delivery Authority
- Value
- £19m
- Procurement Method
- Design and Build
- Services
- Architecture
- Scale
- 13,500m²
Awards
- Construction News Awards 2013 - Sustainable Project of the Year - Winner
- International Achievement Awards 2013 Award of Excellence - Air Structures - Winner
- IOC/IAKS Award Silver Medal 2017
- Civic Trust Awards 2013 - Commendation
- Biennial Award for a Contribution to Urban Vitality - Winner
The Water Polo Arena, designed by David Morley Architects for London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, was a temporary venue constructed in a prominent site at the main gateway to the Olympic Park. The 5,000 seat capacity venue was made from a Kit of Parts and stood as an example for an emerging form of sustainable architecture at the time. Winning ‘Sustainable Building of the Year’ in 2013, the scheme responded to the Olympic Delivery Authority’s strategy of reducing the need for materials, re-using as much material as possible after the games, and then recycling after the re-use life has been expended.
- Status
- Completed 2012
- Client
- Olympic Delivery Authority
- Value
- £19m
- Procurement Method
- Design and Build
- Services
- Architecture
- Scale
- 13,500m²
Awards
- Construction News Awards 2013 - Sustainable Project of the Year - Winner
- International Achievement Awards 2013 Award of Excellence - Air Structures - Winner
- IOC/IAKS Award Silver Medal 2017
- Civic Trust Awards 2013 - Commendation
- Biennial Award for a Contribution to Urban Vitality - Winner
With a very limited budget, the design responded through innovations in planning, form and material whilst also complimenting key site views to and from the stadium. The venue included a competition pool, warm-up pool and ancillary accommodation for spectators, athletes, press and VIPs.
The building’s concept was driven by the desire to make the building using a method where all of the components could be efficiently re-used, re-cycled and indeed many components were pre-cycled taken from the existing supply chain of temporary structures. The spectator seating had been previously used in other buildings and was re-usable after the games, as were the structural components – even the retractable screw-pile foundations.
A lot of the equipment was repurposed for a permanent velodrome project in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the 2018 Asian Games and still operates very successfully today. Elements of the arena were also used in the Sochi Gymnasium stadium, and some of the trusses have been used within stadia around England, such as forming a new TV gantry at Selhurst Park Stadium in London.