The 27-acre site of Eton Manor, freshly updated by Stanton Williams, contains temporary Olympic training facilities for swimming, as well as nine wheelchair tennis courts for the Paralympics, with seating for up to 10,500 spectators. Once the games are finished, the outdoor courts will be converted into a permanent 5,000-seat field hockey stadium, with a set of indoor tennis courts. Design firm Stanton Williams renovated Eton Manor for the Olympic Delivery Authority with the object of leaving behind facilities that could be put to use by Londoners well after the 2012 closing ceremonies. But this multi-staged progression of the arena is not unique to Eton Manor; Zaha Hadid’s London Aquatics Centre, for example, will accommodate 17,500 swimming and diving fans during the games, thanks to controversial seating wings that will be removed following the competitions. In fact, most of the major venues around the Olympic village include legacy modes to increase their utility beyond the duration of the games, as London plans to use the games as a catalyst for East London's revitalization.
See ARCHITECT’s coverage of the London 2012 Olympics for more information, or visit ARCHITECT’s Projects Gallery to learn more about specific projects.
