I was excited to get a late ticket to the Zaha Hadid designed London Aquatics Centre for its first official event – a warm-up to the Olympics later this year. When I entered however, there was no mistaking something of the the ugly duckling.
Those wings, providing the extra seating necessary for the games themselves, looked awkward on the outside when I had seen them under construction a year ago. They did not look better from the inside!
But looking beyond the flags, temporary notice board and seating paraphernalia, a very beautiful beast will eventually emerge. I cannot help thinking that it is a pity the world will not see it in its true architectural splendour during the Olympics, but at least the local people will get something the Olympians will not!
Thank you to John Campbell for the ticket.
