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Sunday 12 August 2012

Architecture


There was much to admire in the architecture of the various venues, both the permanent ones and those that will be dismantled afterwards (like the Basketball Stadium - see below). The Athletics Stadium (see yesterday's post) has its own majesty; it is, come to think of it, a bit like a crown. The Aquatics Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid, is thrilling - but positioned so that it was extremely difficult to photograph in its entirety. My own favourite was the Velodrome, designed by Hopkins Architects. I found its swooping form [a hyperbolic paraboloid ;-) ] to be most pleasing, somehow evoking the sport taking place inside.... and how exciting that has been for Team GB! 

Another view of the Velodrome
The BBC studios, made I think from recycled containers, were right at the heart of the Park - and the BBC's superb coverage of the Games has been right at the heart of most of our lives these last two weeks.  (I don't know what we'll all do when it's over!)

The Basketball venue is a temporary structure that will be dismantled later - but was no less stylish for all that.  In front of it is one of the many food outlets... there was plenty of choice, though a lot of it was not (paradoxically) very healthy stuff.  OK, confession time... I had a cheeseburger and fries from McDonalds!


There are some wonderful photos, by Edmund Sumner, of the various venues here, in this slideshow. (How I wish I'd had more time and could have visited again when there were fewer people.)

7 comments:

  1. Thanks to you, we can see things that we can't see through TV. Thank you for being our inside reporter!

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  2. It is an interesting choice to make the various venues in a way that they can be dismantled. But, I have read that many host cities in the past overbuilt fancy stadia that sit empty and decaying, so in that light, Britain's decision is brilliant.

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  3. For some reason I'd never considered the possibility of getting Mexican food in Britain. I have a real weakness for Mexican food, especially carnitas. I knew that McDonald's had gone world-wide, although it has to be close to 20 years since I've had one.

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  4. the architecture is lovely...but it's the sky and clouds that really caught my attention! :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it was a lovely typically English summer's day - sunshine and showers.

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  5. I am pleased that lots of these structures will go on to have a great future. I love the photos you took.
    xxx

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