Local daily paper, The Evening Standard, has taken to covering the Olympic development in practically every issue, not surprising given the size and costs of the venture. There are also weighty expectations on the project to deliver benefits of “regeneration” to this part of town, which has some of the lowest socio-economic indices in the UK and suffered WWII bombings.
Yesterday’s article on on the Fish Island and Hackney Wick areas which border the Olympic park describes the ‘other side’ to this story – the existing wealth and culture of the localities. It describes the art community and existing architectural legacy which can be built on and enhanced with by the Olympic project.
The question is what future for the olympic fringes and this article suggests they should look to other examples of thriving artists quarters such as Shoreditch. The area sits between Victoria Park and the Olympic Village – see the maps in the Tower Hamlets Masterplan document
This particular part of the east end contains many historic buildings from past times when the area was the heart of industrial development, such as the Bryant & May Match factory pictured above, with the Docklands Financial District in the background. The factory was famous for the invention of the safety match and the first working girls strike, which Annie Besant helped promote, and is now converted into flats. The area was mainly served by canals, which are still green and beautiful as you can see in the photos in this blog, but not used for transport so much anymore.
Here are some photos of the area, taken late last year
Looking north up the canal running east of Hackney Wick
Fish Island Area August 2009
Canal around Fish Island and Hackney Wick August 2009
On a park tour at the end of 2009, I took the following shot of the frame of the velodrome, which looks a bit like a roller coaster.
Olympic 2012 Velodrome
It will be part of the Olympic Velopark containing track cycling for Para-Olympians and Olympians plus BMX cycling facilities. Situated at the north end of the site where the former Eastway circuit used to be, this building will have an unusual shape and a lot to live up to. Former Eastway track users have left a lot of skin on the site since 1975 when it was first built:
“Eastway is used, on a regular basis for Road Racing, Time Trials, Cyclo Cross, Mountain Bike Racing, B M X Racing, Duathlon events, Road Running, Cross Country Running, Roller Blade & Roller Skating and the occasional Sponsored ride. Sometimes if the winter weather is bad and we have enough snow, Cross Country Skiing is possible at the circuit.”
Having said that, a ‘temporary alternative’ for former Eastway circuit users has been provided at Hog Hill just off the A12 north east London (one of two alternatives, the other being Rammy Marsh in Enfield). There was a “bit of a wait” between the closure of the original circuit in 2006 and the opening of the “Redbridge Circuit“ in August of 2008. This is a boon for Redbridge Borough with the £4.5 million new facility and cyclists are taking to it and sharing the experience (see preview thanks JayCut!) although a bit unhappy to be charged for the pleasure.
“The temporary seating for the BMX Circuit will be removed and the track reconfigured. A new mountain bike course and road cycle circuit will be added to create a VeloPark for the local community, sports clubs and elite athletes.
Outreach and sports development programmes will help ensure the new cycling ‘hub’ is suitable for all levels of ability. The facility will be owned, funded and run by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.”
Two new media facilities, costing £355 from the ODA budget, are emerging. International broadcasts of the Olympic games in 2012 will come from the 60,000 m2 new International Broadcast Centre (IBC) onsite in the 2012 park. The shots below of the IBC were taken during a bus tour of the park and the venue is seen through a metal fence and the bus window.
International Press Centre
International Press Centre
The venue has been designed for games time and legacy facilities. It will contain studio space and offices over 2 floors and these can be converted into smaller units after the Olympic events, in the hope that various media companies might set up some operations in East London longer term.
I noticed this yellowish/greenish building appear some months ago and mistook it for a temporary venue for construction workers, like those near the Olympic Stadium. In fact it is the so-called View Tube, which:
“….is a social enterprise and community venue located on The Greenway adjacent to the Olympic Park. It was built using recycled shipping containers whose construction and installation was delivered by Urban Space Management.”
It is a great place to get a look out over the development site, take pix and visit the cafe. The infomation gives a good overview of the plans for the area, with maps and view-point descriptions, of where you can look out over the Aquatics Centre and Staduim.
You can get there from the greenway:090922_view-tube-directions
Click on these small images to see larger pictures of the aquatics stadium designed by Zaha Hadid for the 2012 Olympics.
Zaha Hadid’s building for 2012 Olympics
2012 Aquatic Stadium London Frame
These photos were taken on 15th November 2009, just four days after the completion of the framework for the 160m sweeping roof. They really show the design coming together into the shape of a “stingray”.
The feel of her typically fluid architechtural syle is starting to come through. The British Design Museum characterises her work like this – “Hadid creates the solid apparatus to make us perceive space as if it morphs and changes as we pass through.”
On July 27th 2012 the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony will be held in London, as the Olympic torch relay arrives from Olympia in London’s east end. We won’t know until 2011 where the torch will go on its way to the site, but it will probably come down the A11 through Tower Hamlets to the Olympic park in Stratford.
So, with a thousand days to go the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) took the opportunity to celebrate. If you were in central London last night you might have seen the light show at the BT Tower, which was also on TV during the lottery programme. If you missed that and you are in London, you can still see celebratory art at the National Portrait Gallery :
“To celebrate 1000 days to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Sebastian Coe launches the National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project, a three-year collaboration between the National Portrait Gallery and BT, the official communications services partner for London 2012. It will create 100 world-class photographic portraits celebrating the people around the UK, both high-profile and those behind the scenes, who collectively are making the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games happen.” – National Portrait Gallery
Or around the UK, the Inspire Programme is encouraging activities locally, and e.g. in England the Arts Council is “challenging artists to use the nation as a blank canvas” in Artists Taking the Lead.
“The successful commissions will be developed across 2010 and 2011, and all 12 will take part in a final unifying celebration before the opening of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.” – Artists Taking the Lead
How long does it take to get to Stratford from St Pancras in central London? Right now the answer is 26 minutes (or 38 minutes on the weekend due to ‘planned engineering works’ see TLF for details), but in 2012 the Olympic Shuttle will take only 7 minutes. In fact in the trial of the new ‘Javelin’ service this week, the time achieved was only 6 minutes and 45 seconds.
New Train for Olympic 2012 passengers from Kings Cross St Pancras - Stratford
This will be an important piece in the East London transport network, when is comes to games time. The ODA is aspiring to encourage use of public transport – in fact it would be impossible for all spectators to come by car – witness the gridlock at the Blackwall tunnel at rush hour. Capacity at Stratford station will be trebled, new Dockland Light Rail (DLR) tunnels are being added, there will be a new ticket hall at Kings Cross, a new DLR platform at Stratford, a direct link from City Airport to Stratford, to name but a few improvements. Overall this part of East London will be far better connected in three years.
Olympic 2012 Stadium in 2009 - constuction workers form 3 for 3 years to go!
