Gallery: London's 2012 Olympic Venues Take Shape
01velopark
The long-awaited 2012 Summer Olympics in London are now less then 550 days away, and the structures and venues that will play host to events ranging from archery to water polo are already taking shape, dotting the British landscape with stadiums and venues that should last long beyond the Games of the XXX Olympiad. And though there's still much to be done behind the scenes, we can take a look at what's already standing and what fans can look forward to, if and when they make the trek to London. __Above:__ For Those Who Like to Bike -------------------------- The Olympic velodrome in East London is where all the cycling events will take place, and it will seat some 6,000 spectators. The track inside has been built using carefully selected Siberian pine, which was chosen specifically for its long-term stability and usability. (And, well, if it can survive the conditions in Siberia, London should be no problem.) *Photo: Courtesy London 2012*
02lee-valley-white-water-centre
Rough Waters ------------ The Lee Valley White Water Centre is where the canoeing events will take place. The course itself includes Class IV rapids over a 300-meter-long \[980 feet\] course that descends nearly 6 meters \[20 feet\] from the starting line to the finish. Five strategically placed pumps help circulate 15 cubic meters \[4,000 gallons\] of water per second. Some 330 athletes are expected to take part in 2012. *Photo: Steve Bates/ODA 2008*
03handball-arena
A Powerful Hand and a Mighty Sword ---------------------------------- Some 7,000 people will be able to file into the Handball Arena, which will also feature the fencing portion of the modern pentathlon. Indeed, after the handball quarterfinals are finished — with semifinals and finals moving to the Basketball Arena — crews will have only 48 hours to switch over the entire venue for the fencing events, which will require new flooring, playing areas and scoreboards. *Photo: Courtesy London 2012*
04ashford-nursery
Olympics Gone Green ------------------- The construction of new sporting venues isn't the only benefit coming from all these infrastructure upgrades. More than 60,000 plants and flowers will be installed in the Olympic Park's official nursery. To prepare for that, gardeners at a nursery in nearby Ashford have gathered up specimens from around the world and are already cultivating them for when it's time to transplant the plants to their new home. *Photo: Courtesy ODA*
05aquatics-centre
No, Not the World's Largest Stingray ------------------------------------ It may look like something you'd see in an aquarium, but you wouldn't be that far off. Following in the design tradition of Beijing's Water Cube for 2008, the Aquatics Centre will boast of a capacity of 17,500 fans while playing host to Michael Phelps and the rest of the world's best swimmers and divers, as well as the water polo events. Designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid, the 160-meter-long \[525 feet\] roof is wider than Heathrow Airport's mammoth Terminal 5. *Photo: Courtesy London 2012*
06olympic-stadium
The Center, or Centre, of Attention ----------------------------------- Of course, as with any Olympics, the action always seems to center around the [main Olympic Stadium](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/playbook/2010/08/sneak-peek-olympic-stadium/), which hosts track and field events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. It's here that up to 80,000 fans from around the world will gather to watch Usain Bolt attempt to keep his title as World's Fastest Athlete, as well as many events from the Paralympic Games, which immediately follow the Summer Olympics. *Photo: Courtesy London 2012*
07inside-the-olympic-stadium
An Opening Ceremony Gone Hollywood ---------------------------------- The Beijing Olympic Committee put on quite an extravaganza in 2008, utilizing tens of thousands of performers in a dazzling display of showmanshp, sound and synchronicity. This time around, it'll be up to Academy Award–winning director Danny Boyle (*Slumdog Millionaire*, *127 Hours*, *28 Days Later*) to up the ante, as he'll be directing the 2012 opening ceremonies in his home country. Few details have been released about what Boyle might have planned, but you can bet he'll put on a show that few will forget. *Photo: London 2012*
08mountain-bike-course
Mountain Bikers Go Over and Under --------------------------------- Recent years have seen new sports added and subtracted from the Olympic lineup, and one of the beneficiaries has been mountain biking, a sanctioned Olympic sport since 1996. When organizers realized the need for a challenging road course for the 2012 competitors, they settled on constructing a new, temporary course at Hadleigh Farm in Essex. With the 700-year-old ruins of Hadleigh Castle serving as a backdrop, riders will traverse numerous parts of this 550-acre site \[0.86 square miles\], which has an elevation differential of roughly 70 meters \[230 feet\], meaning only elite riders should expect to hold Olympic gold afterward. *Photo: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images*
09basketball-arena
Where Hoop Dreams Are Made -------------------------- Always one of the most popular sports during the Summer Olympics — at least since the United States started fielding a Dream Team in 1992 — basketball will be hosted in this spanking-new facility, which will hold 12,000 fans and also host handball and wheelchair rugby (during the Paralympic Games). And just as with the Handball Arena, workers will have just 22 hours to switch over the interior from basketball to handball, once the hoops portion of the schedule has concluded. *Photo: Courtesy London 2012*
10energy-centre
We Need More Power! ------------------- Putting on an event like the Summer Olympics requires a *lot* of power, so organizers are building several new energy centers, like this one in King's Yard, which will use natural gas as well as wood chips (used in biomass boilers) to help power the 17-day games. More than 500 tons of steel was used in its construction, and it stands 150 feet tall at its highest point. *Photo: Anthony Charlton/ODA 2008*
11international-broadcast-centre
Where Media Matters ------------------- Aside from the thousands of athletes coming to London for the Olympics, there will also be some 20,000 journalists and media workers coming to broadcast the events to an estimated potential audience of 4 billion people (or 4 gigabods). That's why the new International Broadcast Centre has nearly 30,000 square meters \[323,000 square feet\] of workspace inside, and will serve roughly 50,000 meals every 24 hours. And after the Olympics wrap up, the structure and its surrounding components will be transformed into more than 80,000 square meters \[860,000 square feet\] of commercial business space, which the city hopes will lead to thousands of new jobs. *Photo: Courtesy London 2012*
12olympic-village
Home Away From Home ------------------- For many athletes, the Olympic Games will be a brief moment in the international spotlight, so they can at least have a comfortable home while they enjoy the experience of being around the world's greatest athletes. The Olympic Village will house 17,000 athletes and officials, and will center on a specially designed Village Plaza, where people can gather and meet up (in the tradition of London's many courtyards and gathering spots). After the Olympics, the space will be converted into 2,800 residential homes, including 1,379 designated for low-income families. *Photo: Courtesy London 2012*
