Olympics
Queen elizabeth Olympic park
After the closing ceremonies signal the end to London’s hosting of the 2012 Games, the Olympic site is due to undergo an ambitious transformation into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – a 250-acre area offering new world-standard attractions, sport and leisure facilities, housing and green spaces.
An artist’s impression of how the park will look While a grand plan is taking shape,
there’s huge potential for attractions and leisure operators to get involved in future developments. The corporation’s director of venues, Peter Tudor, says: “We’re currently inviting expressions of interest from all types of operator and companies can go to the website for more information and to register their ideas.” Tudor says that some vacant indoor or outdoor spaces in the park may be available for six months to operators with good ideas, while others could be available for up to 15 years, as the development company works on its vision up until 2030 using a mixture of public and private funding. Anything from urban sports venues to open air amusement parks will be considered. “We’ll be promoting the experience as ‘A Day in the Park’ with some multi-ticket entries,” he says. “So there will be a huge variety of things on offer.”
The Olympic museum
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is building an Olympic Museum next to the Orbit, which is set to become a major attraction when it opens at the park in 2014. The design and content for the museum is still under discussion, although a key aim of the new facility will be to highlight London’s unique contribution to Olympic history as it becomes the first city in the world to have hosted the Games three times – in 1908, 1948 and 2012. The British Olympic Association’s chief executive, Andy Hunt,
says: “The museum will provide members of the public with a venue to re-live the excitement, passion and drama of the London 2012 Games. It will create an interactive experience using technology and entertainment to communicate the Olympic values to inspire future generations.”
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ArcelorMittal Orbit is 22m taller than the Statue of Liberty and offers a 20-mile view across London
Arcelormittal Orbit
At more than 114m (374ft), the new ArcelorMittal Orbit tower is the tallest sculpture in the UK. It is expected to draw great attention for tourists and visitors alike and become a major revenue earner for the park. Costing £22.7m (E27.5m, $36m) – £19.6m (E23.7m, $31m)
of which is from sponsors ArcelorMittal and the remainder from the Greater London Authority – the Orbit has been created and constructed by renowned designer Anish Kapoor and engineer Cecil Balmond of Arup AGU. The striking red structure is 22m (72ft) taller than the Statue of Liberty, offering visitors views of London covering a 20-mile (32km) radius from the top. Built as a continuous lattice loop of steel, visitors can ascend the tower via a lift at the centre and descend down an open winding staircase. “The Orbit is a major new attraction for London,” says
Tudor. “After the Games, the site will need to close as the rest of the surrounding infrastructure in the south of the park is being developed.” The Orbit is due to re-open in 2014, and will be operated by the development corporation. l
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