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A B O U T T H E A R C H I T E C T

Zaha Hadid, (born October -1950 ,31 most of her other radical designs in the
died March 31,2016) was an Iraqi-born 1980s and early 90s.
British architect known for her radical Hadid began to be known as a "paper
deconstructivist designs and her ground architect, "meaning her designs were too
breaking achievements as a woman in avant-garde to move beyond the sketch
the field of architecture. phase and actually be built. And this
impression of her was heightened when
Hadid began her studies at the American
University in Beirut, Lebanon, receiving a
bachelor's degree in mathematics. In 1972
she traveled to London to study at the
Architectural Association, a major center
of progressive architectural thought during
the 1970s. There she met the architects
Elia Zenghelis and Rem Koolhaas, with
whom she would collaborate as a partner
at the Office of Metropolitan Architecture.
In 1983 Hadid gained international
recognition with her competition-winning
entry for The Peak, a leisure and
recreational center in Hong Kong.

This design, a "horizontal

skyscraper" that moved at a
dynamic diagonal down the
hillside site, established her
aesthetic characterized by a
sense of fragmentation, instability
and movement. This fragmented
style led her to be grouped with
architects known as
"deconstructivism,"

Hadid's design for The Peak

was never realized, nor were
her beautifully rendered designs- often
in the form of exquisitely detailed colored
paintings were exhibited as works of art in
major museums

Hadid's first major built project was the Vitra Fire

Station (93-1989) in Well am Rhein, Germany.
Composed of a series of sharply, angled planes,
the structure resembles a bird in flight. But Hadid
solidified her reputation as an architect of built
works in 2000, when work began on her design
for a new Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for
Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The 85,000 square foot center, which opened in

2003, was the first American museum designed
by a woman. Shen proceeded to design countless
other buildings and receive many awards,
including being the first woman to be awarded
the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004
 I N T R O D U C T I O N

The centre was designed by Pritzker Prize-
winning architect Zaha Hadid in 2004
before London won the bid for the 2012
Summer Olympics. It was built alongside
the Water Polo Arena and opposite the
Olympic Stadium on the opposite bank of
the Waterworks River.
The complex has a -50m competition
pool, a -25m competition diving pool and
a -50m warm-up pool. The -50m pool is
3 metres deep, like the one in the Beijing
National Aquatics Center, in order to be
fast. Its floor can be moved to reduce its
depth. There are also moveable booms
that allow its size to be changed.
Because the centre was designed
before the Olympic bid was completed,
the spectator wings were not part of the
original design. They were later added to
fit the estimated audience.

The site is 45 metres (148 feet) high, 160

metres (520 feet) long, and 80 metres
(260 feet) wide. The wave-like roof is
stated to be 11,200 square feet (1,040
m2), a reduction from the previously
stated 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2).
The design was inspired by the Dalian
Aqua Centre in East Kilbride, Scotland.
The diving pool has platform boards at
heights of 3 m, 5 m, 7.5 m, and 10 m and
three 3m springboards. For the television
coverage of the Olympics, the pools were
also equipped with innovative cameras in
order to present the action from multiple
angles.

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LOCATION 1 SITE SITE CONSTRAINTS FACTS:

The Aquatics Centre is within the Olympic The podium emerges from the bridge to The London Aquatics Center is site on Project Info
Park Masterplan. Positioned on the south the cascade around the pool hall to the one of the most constrained sites on
eastern edge of the Olympic Park with lower level of the canal, A new pedestrian the Olympic Park, The building sits in Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
direct proximity to Stratford, It is planned access to the Olympic Park via the east- between railway lines to the east and the
on an orthogonal axis that is perpendicular west bridge (called the Stratford City Waterworks River to the west. Location: Westminster, London, UK
to the Stratford City Bridge. All three pools Bridge) passes directly over the Centre
are aligned on this axis. as a primary gateway to the Park. 2011-2005 :Project Year
The temporary stands are actually
cantilevered over the railway and River
The training pool is located under the Several smaller pedestrian bridges will in some areas. The other major site Area in Sq.m 15950
bridge with the competition and diving also connect the site to the Olympic Park constraints are the two tunnels under Client: Olympic Delivery Authority
pools located within the large pool hall over the existing canal. the Aquatics Center. The tunnels contain
enclosed by the roof. The overall strategy high voltage electrical cables. They do Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty
is to frame the base of the pool hall as not align with the Aquatic Center in any
a podium connected to the Stratford City way, but they have a significant effect on Structural Engineers: Ove Arup &
Bridge. the building substructure. Partners

Services Engineers: Ove Arup &

Partners

Photographs: Hufton+Crow,