London 2012 Olympics

By Megan Solloway

London 2012 Olympics

Task: Design an Olympic Village to cater for the different athletes and their ethnic groups.

General researchI felt it was important to do general research on the Olympics and in particular to get a feel for how they run and learn what goes on in those all important 6 weeks.

Here are some facts I found out about the Olympics in general:87 countries won medals at the previous Olympic Games in Beijing.Pierre de Coubertin was the founder of the modern Olympic Games.The first Olympic Stadium was built in less than a year.At the 2012 Olympics all of the public bars, food concessions, information and retail points have been designed as individual pods, grouped together outside the stadium in "villages". 17,000 athletes from 205 countries will compete at the 2012 Olympics.The USA have won 2,189 medals, the most at the summer Olympics than any other country.

Research

Research2012 Olympic researchA total of 205 countries/nations will participate in the 2012 Olympics.Around 17000 athletes will compete against each other.The opening ceremony for London 2012 will be on 27th July.At least 1million people are expected to attend the Olympic games and a massive 4 billion people from around the world will be watching on television.Womens boxing will feature in the Olympics for the first time.A BMX track has been built for the London Olympics and this will be the second time that the sport has been a part of the Olympics. Manchester, Coventry and Cardiff will all host Olympic football games. Essex will host mountain biking and Dorset will host the sailing.It is the first time that London is hosting the Olympic games since 1948.The London Olympic stadium is the lightest stadium ever built.

The Olympic park will be in Marsh gate, Stratford, London. This means the Olympic village will need to be nearby walking distance from the stadium. I have picked Three Mills Green also in Stratford. It is a great open space and only 1.3 miles away, which is a 15 minute walk door to door. Three Mills Green is far enough away from the Olympic park so that athletes can relax in their village and have quiet preparation time for their sport, but not too far away that they would have to take a form of transport to get to the Olympic stadium.

Where will my Olympic village be situated?

What was the plan for my Olympic Village?My first plan was good, however when I looked at possible materials I could use, it did not realistically work. My new plan which I developed, was easier to build and had more links to the Olympics. On the next slide is a replica of my plan.

Place to hang out

Restaurant

Multi faithroom and function roomShopping centreHospital

Gym and swimming poolOpen space/gardenRunning track and training groundSupermarketAccommodation

AccommodationAccommodation

Place to hang out

What materials did I use to build the model of my Olympic Village?For my accommodation towers, I used clip lock round plastic containers. For the base I used cardboard.For the rest of the buildings, I used recycling materials such as; juice cartons, cereal boxes and other cardboard etc.

The reason why my model is made mostly out of recycled materials is because recycling benefits the planet and materials like cardboard work best when building a model!

SupermarketThe supermarket will have everything from groceries to clothes like a huge superstore. The supermarket will have food for all nationalities of the athletes and the signs and labels will be on electronic screens in one particular language, however each athlete when entering the store, will have the opportunity to use a language scanner. The athletes will enter their chosen language and then the scanner will translate any text it is pointed at into that specific language.

Place to hang outThe two places to hang out in my Olympic village are very important. It is the main place designed for athletes to have a social life and meet new people. Consoles such as the Wii and Xbox Kinect are set up in the places to hang out so that athletes can play games against each other and have another opportunity to socialise with new people.

AccommodationThe accommodation towers are the key concept to my whole Olympic village. They are designed in the shape and have their roofs the colour of the Olympic rings. The open top roofs of the accommodation have been designed as a quiet place to sit and read and look at the beautiful surroundings of London for those athletes whos first time it is to the capital. Each athlete will have their own small flat in one of the designated towers. The flat will consist of a hall way and to the right, the lounge. To the left is the bathroom and through the lounge is the small kitchen. This only has a microwave and fridge as athletes are encouraged to eat at the restaurant so that they meet new people. Finally, the bedroom is located second on the right.

Restaurant The restaurant is one of the best buildings in my Olympic village. Athletes get to dine 5 star whilst having a view of the whole of London. Athletes can choose any of the 25 floors each with a different theme. Some floors are a buffet, however, others are order and dine. The Olympic restaurant is really an experience that the athletes will not forget.

HospitalThe Olympic hospital is smaller than a normal hospital, however it has all the facilities to treat athletes injuries. If necessary, the hospital can do emergency operations. The Olympic hospital will provide a service to any athlete with any health issue.

Shopping centreThe Olympic shopping centre is exclusive to the athletes. It will have all the shops needed from clothes to beauty and electronics to the cinema. Also, there will be a library in the shopping centre as well. The athletes will be spoilt for choice with a wide range of high street and designer shops.

Multi faith and function roomThis is a two roomed building. The multi faith room is designed for all religions of all athletes. It allows athletes to pay respect to their religion in an open and relaxed environment without them feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed. There is a no talking rule in the multi faith room and athletes must only go there for religious reasons. The multi faith room has lots of equipment such as prayer mats and copies of every religious book for the athletes to read. The function room will be down the other end of the building and can be used for athletes to celebrate things such as birthdays and success. Meetings can also take place in the function room as it is a very useful space.

Gym, swimming pool and training ground.The gym and swimming pool will provide athletes the opportunity to carry out their exercise regime and for swimmers to practice. Athletes can also go to the gym or swimming pool at their leisure. Outside, as part of the fitness centre, are tennis, badminton and netball/basketball courts for athletes to play on. The training ground will have a marked track but can be used for an array of other sports such as cycling and long jump. The training ground will allow the athletes their very important practice time before their big event.

Outdoor spaceOut door space is very important when building an Olympic village. When athletes look out their bedroom windows, they should see some greenery. My Olympic village has one main outdoor space with other small ones dotted around. Green grass and plants will make the Olympic village feel like home for the athletes and will give a relaxed and spacious feel.

Thank You for watching this presentation on my Olympic Village.

I hope you enjoyed it!