Newcastle Station Clock

Newcastle Station Clock

Sunday 10 April 2011

"nicer and more beautiful than it will be during the games"

“Of course, I have a feeling that the look after the games might be nicer and more beautiful than it will be during the games, but I think it’s not so important for just a few weeks of the games." -Denis Oswald, the Chairman of the IOC’s coordination commission
Courtesy of BDonline.co.uk: Read more
A comment about one of Archiendo's 'favourite' architects, Zaha Hadid and her Aquatics Centre (swimming pool to you and me) for the London 2012 games.
It would appear that Zaha's clients are not too endeared to the curvy shaped swimming pool, or its two temporary seating wings that have had to be added for the duration of the games to gain the extra 15,000 seats required.

The curved shape with additional wings led to many to note its resemblance to certain...products of a sensitive nature, I will let you read about them on the BD article rather than go down that particular avenue here, however I will say that the name of her recent museum in Rome may be more appropriate for the swimming pool.

I get a strong feeling from Mr Oswald's comment that they are not to happy with the outcome of the building, and they are trying to sweep their disappointment below the rug of 'legacy'. Zaha's strong personality clearly overulled any ideas they had with her own thoughts. One can imagine that any thoughts had by the IOC to tell Zaha to change the design of her building may have resulted in a scene very similar to that in Episode 3 of the BBC's satire comedy Twenty Twelve, where the board is confronted with the task of suggesting an alteration to the Aquatic Centre but wont suggest a change to the real problem because of the "architects vision". Have a watch, its amazing how clued in the writers are.

Maybe next time the olymipcs come to London(I can't imagine there being a next time any time soon though) the IOC will think again and use an architect who will deliver a building which effectively meets the brief before and after the games, without the need for a temporary marquee to fit everyone in. Rather like Hopkin's Velodrome, which the same report heralded as "technically one of the best in the world."

1 comment:

  1. As is said in the video clip "either deal with it, or if you can't deal with it, find some other way of dealing with it"... I think what they've done here with the pool is the latter option.

    also... 'that particular avenue'...... HAAA!

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