Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
On this expedition, we’ll take a look at some of the structures created for the 2012 Olympic Games in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park but planned for longer-term, sustainable public use.
This story was created for the Google Expeditions project by ePublishing Partners, now available on Google Arts & Culture
The park now includes not only venues built for the Olympics but also new commercial buildings, parks, schools, and five new residential areas. The park continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to sports contests, festivals, and other public events.
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Stratford Station, London
One way to get to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is by train. Head for Stratford Station, a multi-level train station that first opened in 1839. Whether you ride on the Jubilee or Central underground lines, or the Overground North London line, you’ll find Stratford Station a bustling centre of activity.
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Modifications were made to Stratford Station to prepare for the crowds visiting the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, with a pedestrian bridge added connecting to the shopping centre.
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Tube Station
The Tube is the name given to London’s underground train system. One stop is Stratford Underground Station. As you exit the train, you’ll see escalators taking you up to “The Street.” Stepping outside, you’ll find yourself at Westfield Shopping Centre.
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The Stratford Shoal
Leaving Stratford Station at street level, you’ll see the 250m-long tree-like sculpture, called the Stratford Shoal. Made from titanium, the giant leaves appear to change colour and were specially treated to produce this effect in the shifting sunlight.
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Stratford Plaza
To the right of the Stratford Shoal, a large oval-shaped steel and glass skyscraper glints in the distance. That’s Stratford Plaza, one of London’s newest residential towers. Notice how its windows reflect the light from the forms on the Stratford Shoal.
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View from the Olympic Rings
The international symbol for the Olympics is a series of 5 interlocking or overlapping coloured rings. The image of the Olympic Rings was created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin around 1912.
Olympic Rings (2012) by Carol M. Highsmith/ Library of CongressNational Women’s History Museum
The rings symbolise the unity between the 5 continents, and the coming together of both athletes and people from around the world. The 3 top rings are blue, black, and red. The 2 bottom rings are yellow and green.
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The Olympic Rings
The Olympic Rings in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are on a grassy hill in the northern part of the park. This elevation allows the rings to be seen from far away. Standing under the rings, you’ll see the velodrome below.
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The Velodrome
The Velodrome at Lee Valley VeloPark is an indoor cycling center. This was the very first 2012 Olympic Park structure to be completed. The building has an unusual curved shape that’s meant to suggest the fluid motion of cycling.
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Lee Valley VeloPark
Lee Valley VeloPark is an indoor and outdoor cycling center in the northern end of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. While the park was built for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it’s now open to the public.
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The park contains terrains for 4 different kinds of cycling: BMX, mountain, track, and road. There’s a 1-mile road course, 5 miles of mountain bike trails, a floodlit BMX race track set up with 30 jumps, berms, and bumps, and a velodrome.
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The Velodrome–a Closer Look
Built in 2011, the 6,000-seat Velodrome is an indoor cycling centre with a 250-metre indoor track. The building was designed to be eco-friendly: roof windows allow in sunlight and there’s a rainwater collection system and plenty of natural ventilation.
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Outside the Olympic Aquatic Centre
The Aquatic Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is located to the east of the stadium. The building, which was designed by architect Zaha Hadid, can seat up to 2,500 people. Now that the 2012 Olympics have ended, the facility is open to the public.
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Aquatic Centre
Notice part of the building’s unique design extending over your head. The curved roof is designed to look like a wave of flowing water. This building houses 50-metre swimming pools, as well as diving blocks of different heights.
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The ArcelorMittal Orbit
Designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond for the 2012 Olympics, this red-and-silver steel observation tower at 114.5 metres high is the largest sculpture in the U.K. In 2016, the world’s longest tunnel slide was added.
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The Olympic Stadium
The circular building is the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium. When all levels are in use, the stadium can hold up to 80,000 spectators. The stadium has been extensively expanded since the 2012 Olympics, and is now home to the West Ham United Football Club.
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