Whilst few decried the creation of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics, even the most rabid sports fans would happily admit that they were unsure as to what exactly the space would be used for once the games were over. So here we are, 3 years later, and it seems work is finally set to begin on the former Olympic Park in east London, with a gigantic new development that looks set to bring a spattering of culture to the east end. The project was first unveiled by London mayor Boris Johnson at the end of 2013 to form a new gateway to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Johnson said of the project: “Stratford Waterfront is set to become a world-leading centre of culture and higher education, and I am thrilled that we have been able to appoint some serious talent to work on the designs. Their work will be key to a project that is expected to generate nearly £2 billion and bring 3,000 new jobs to the Olympic Park.”
Work is set to begin on the former Olympic Park in east London, with a gigantic new development that looks set to bring a spattering of culture to the east end
The design team has been chosen for the hugely ambitious “Olympicopolis” project, which will see part of the park turned into a cultural centre, with the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Smithsonian and University College London all opening outposts in the space. The winning team is led by Allies and Morrison and also features O’Donnell and Tuomey, Josep Camps/Olga Felip, Arquitecturia, Gustafson Porter, Buro Happold, and Gardiner and Theobald. So pretty much a 'best of' selection of the UK's best architectural firms and design consultancies, but given the scope of the scheme, that's no surprise. This dream team will now work on designs for the 70,000 square-metre scheme, which will also feature a massive 75,000 square-metre residential development. The team was selected from 43 submissions in a competition organised by the London Legacy Development Corporation and Malcolm Reading Consultants.
The design team has been chosen for the hugely ambitious “Olympicopolis” project, which will see part of the park turned into a cultural centre
The development on the Stratford Waterfront at the Queen Elizabeth Park, will feature UCL’s first School of Design, which will offer new courses in design, alongside research and innovation opportunities. Meanwhile, the University of the Arts London is creating a new campus to bring together London College of Fashion’s 6,500 students and staff for the first time in the college’s 100-year history. The Victoria & Albert Museum and Sadler’s Wells are partners in the new development, and both plan to open new outposts, with discussions currently under way regarding the Smithsonian Institution, which could open its first permanent museum outside the United States on the site!
The world famous Smithsonian Institution could open its first permanent museum outside the United States on the site
Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, Martin Roth, said: “The education and cultural district planned for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has the potential to be one of the most exciting and important developments of our time.” Bob Allies of Allies and Morrison, who helped design the Olympic Park, added: “Having been involved in the design of the Olympic Park from the submission of the initial bid to the completion of the Legacy master plan, we are very excited to have been selected to bring forward this final component of what will be an extraordinary new piece of London, a remarkable collaboration between outstanding institutions.” There's no official start date for construction on Olympicopolis, but UCL has previously said that construction on its new campus at the site will start in 2018.
