I suppose you can call this “Part II” of my Architectural Series of buildings erected for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.  I had an earlier post about the recyclable arena almost two months ago.  I will say this though: I cannot guarantee a “Part III;” which kind of sucks because I’m a sucker for a trilogy.

Oh well, this is the Olympic Aquatic Center designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the next London Olympic structure to be completed.  This building will house all of the swimming events (including diving and water polo), and will house approximately 17,500 spectators.

Now that’s a heck of a view….

The Olympic Aquatic Center is an aluminium-clad-steel-roofed building measuring around 525 feet long and 295 feet wide, a space-age ceiling, and an aerated ceiling over the training pool that casts interesting reflections on the water below. There are three concrete columns that support the 3,000 ton overhead structure, a double curvature parabolic structure resembling a wave, 850,000 tiles surface the all of the pools, changing facilities and floors. Plus, there are a group of concrete towers that include three meter springboards and diving platforms that were formed and cast on site.  The building is also eco-friendly, as the excess pool water is designed to be channeled from the pool to the facility’s bathrooms, where it will be recycled as toilet water.