Designing the Aquatics Centres Roof

This programme looks at how the wave-like roof that spans Zaha Hadid’s Aquatics Centre in the 2012 Olympic Park was designed and built.

Including interviews with both the lead engineer Arup’s Nina Tabink, and the man who led its construction, Balfour Beatty’s Stuart Fraser. This programme was partly filmed on site and includes rare footage taken from inside the structure, amid the mammoth 120m long roof trusses.

Key Learning

• The rationale behind the design
• The choice of materials
• Engineering the trusses
• What is a compression hoop?
• How the roof was erected.

About the contributor(s)

Nina Tabink, Arup senior engineer; led the Arup team working on the Aquatics Centre Roof;

Stuart Fraser, Balfour Beatty Construction Manager. Stuart headed the construction team building the Aquatics Centre.