Construction
On 1 December 2005 Hadid was instructed to revise her designs after a specification change led to a doubling of the £75 million estimated cost. The revised plans were unveiled on 27 November 2006. Although the same general design was kept, with capacity for 17,500 spectators, the revised Aquatics Centre design was much smaller and was expected to cost much less than previously expected. However, subsequent cost increases were reported to Parliament in 2008.
The construction contract was awarded to Balfour Beatty in April 2008. At the same time, it was reported that the centre would cost about three times as much as was originally estimated, totalling about £242 million. The cost increases were attributed to construction inflation and VAT increases, and also included the estimated cost of converting the facility for public use after the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Centre was completed in July 2011 at a final cost of £269 million.
The design demonstrates the precast-concrete skills with by exposing the concrete finish rather than painting or cladding which was provided by Peri. The precast floor terracing was manufactured by Bell & Webster Concrete in Lincolnshire, England. The terracing units were delivered and positioned to accelerate the speed of construction. The unique six-board diving platform is made from 462 tonnes of concrete. The aluminium roof covering was provided by Kalzip. The steel structure was built in cooperation with Rowecord Engineering, of Newport, Wales. The ceiling was built with 30,000 sections of Red Lauro timber. The steel roof weighs 3,200 tonnes. The three pools hold around 10 million litres (2.6 million gallons) of water.
After the Paralympic Games, the Aquatic Centre will be deconstructed to result in a smaller space. The frame wings on either side of the central space will be removed, unbolted, and sold. The PVC wrap that's temporarily enclosing the space will also be sold, while the seats and toilets will be reused elsewhere. As certain parts of the building won't be needed anymore, they will be recycled via Vinyloop. This allows the standards of the Olympic Delivery Authority concerning environmental protection to be met.
Read more about this topic: London Aquatics Centre
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