London Aquatics Centre

Location: London, England

Designed by the famous Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid, the London Aquatics Centre is an indoor sports facility with two 160-foot swimming pools and an 82-foot diving pool. The centre was one of the main venues for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics.

The design of the stadium was encouraged by the motion of water as it flows, which is an iconic element of Zaha Hadid's work. Interestingly, the centre was not originally designed for the Olympic games; because of this, spectator wings were added on during the event, resulting in a capacity of 17,500 spectators. The two wings have since been removed, reducing the capacity to a regular 2,800 with 1,000 extra seats available for major events.

Photos: Hufton + Crow