After watching the Olympic games opening this weekend, one can’t help but be over whelmed by the historical and global significance these games have grown into.
From the start of the games in 776 BC in Olympia Greece, the architectural structures were just as important as the games themselves. Here are a few picts of what’s left of the original site of the first Olympic games.
The site consists of most of what you would imagine an Olympic games would. About a dozen larger structures between a bunch of scattered smaller ones. Sound familiar? Every four years as the Olympics moves around the globe we see new architectural feats popping up to accommodate the games. As the years pass we find ourselves comparing each opening ceremony to the preceding, as well as the structures they are held in. It seems the architecture alone has become it’s own Olympic game. Let’s look at some from this years Olympic games in London – there are some big names on this one.
We have all heard a lot about the USA swim team, so let’s look at the London Aquatics Center first designed by world re-nound architect Zaha Hadid.
Let’s take a look at the Velodrome now by Hopkins Architects.
Lastly, let’s take a look at the London Olympic bridges by Heneghan Peng Architects.
There are SO many more amazing architectural structure in London that were constructed for the Olympics. You can find a complete list of them and who designed them here. Amazing super human feats that go into the tradition that has become the Olympic games; both the athletes AND the architects compete, only the architects do it silently and without medals.
I vote to add architecture to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janero. Who’s with me?!?!