London 2012 blog

In this week's peek at the Olympic Park, the images show what we’ve been doing to widen the Waterworks River. Water is a central feature of the Park. The Waterworks River, adjacent to the Aquatics Centre, is currently undergoing extensive regeneration.  

1) This photo was taken last summer before any piling work began. Time was not on the side of the old blue metal railing and the dilapidated concrete walls were originally built in the 1930s:



2) With the old blue railings in the foreground of this image and the piling beyond, you can see how the Waterworks River will be widened by about eight metres once the work is complete:

3) From the air you get a better sense of scale as each new steel pile -  weighing up to 11 tonnes - is vibrated 18 metres into the ground:



4) One nice sunny morning, the shapes and shadows created by the standing piles were an irresistable snap:



5) 700 new piles have been used along 500 metres of riverbank. Concrete on top of the piles will form the new edge to the Waterworks River as this image shows:



6) The existing concrete walls are now being removed along with the soil between the old and new river banks:



7) The riverbanks and walkways that are being created along the Waterworks River will be part of the regeneration of what was previously an inaccessible stretch of water:



8) This latest aerial image shows the Aquatics Centre site and adjacent Waterworks River, along with the work to clear the old riverbank:



9) A final thought is to look forward in time as this computer-generated image shows the view across the Waterworks River to the Aquatics Centre after the 2012 Games: