New photo gallery marks London 2012 construction
A new archive brings together 100 memorable images of Olympic and Paralympic facilities, with unique time-lapse film also available.
The London 2012 Velodrome, now at the heart of the Lee Valley VeloPark.
The images, reflecting the work of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) since it came into existence in 2006, are being made available on the photo sharing website, Flickr, for non-commercial download and use as the ODA prepares to close.
They include iconic aerial photographs from 2007 to 2014, showing the development of the Olympic Park, and how it changed as the construction programme progressed.
Full-width aerial shots of the Olympic Park, like this from 2012, are available.
The ODA finished its construction activity in July 2014, when the last of 2,818 new homes in East Village was handed over to the housing development’s legacy owners. Photographs of East Village are included in the new Flickr gallery, illustrating how it was transformed from temporary accommodation for 23,000 athletes and officials during the Olympic and Paralympic Games into new homes for families, sharers and individuals.
Construction at the Olympic Village, now East Village, in November 2009.
A new YouTube channel brings together for the first time eight extended time-lapse films showing the building of iconic London 2012 venues like the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, and Velodrome, as they emerged from cleared ground and bare foundations to become completed world-class sports facilities. These can also be downloaded for non-commercial use.
Subject to parliamentary approval, the ODA is expected to close in the next month after just over eight and a half years in which it was responsible first for the construction of the venues and infrastructure for the London Games. After 2012, it switched its efforts to the transformation of the former Olympic and Paralympic Village. Final tasks included closing out the last of more than 2,500 commercial contracts with a combined value in excess of £6 billion, and preparing for an ordered closure of the organisation.
Construction workers assemble the Velodrome's cable net roofing in March 2010.
Sir John Armitt, chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, said:
“The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is certainly true. The photographs and film we are making available for public use vividly tells the story of a terrific success for the UK, our construction industry and tens of thousands of workers.
“It highlights the extraordinary change that has happened in this part of London in under a decade. Where there was so recently neglect, dumping and pollution, there is now a stunning public park providing sport to watch and participate in, a place for young and old alike to go and enjoy, and thousands of new jobs - with the homes of East Village, a school and health centre, close at hand.
“We are proud of what has been achieved and want to leave this very visible reminder of London 2012’s success, confirming that the UK is capable of delivering major infrastructure projects to a very high quality.”
Through its Learning Legacy initiative, the ODA and London 2012 has also been sharing the knowledge and the lessons learned from the construction of the Olympic Park and preparing and staging the Games, to help raise the bar within construction and event sectors, and act as a showcase for UK plc. The Learning Legacy website contains hundreds of reports, case studies, research summaries and videos highlighting what has been achieved in areas including design and engineering innovation, health and safety, planning and project management, and sustainability.
Demolition work on the London 2012 site in October 2007.
Updates to this page
Last updated 23 November 2014 + show all updates
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Adds YouTube channel with time-lapse film of London 2012 venues and facilities.
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First published.