The Energy Centre, located at the west entrance of the Olympic Park, provides a quarter of the electricity and all of the hot water and heating to the Park.
The design and build
The Energy Centre is designed to be a community landmark in the old tradition of Battersea and Bankside power stations (the latter is now converted into the Tate Modern gallery).
The Centre has a flexible modular design, so that further capacity and new technology can be added when demand increases once the area is further developed after the Games. As the building is 18 metres high, the architects introduced glazing to make it less imposing and to allow passers-by to see inside.
Another key part of the design are the 21st-century biomass boilers, which use sustainable fuels such as woodchip and gas to generate heat and deliver low-carbon energy.
Construction of the Energy Centre began in summer 2008 and was completed just over two years later. Once finished, it began providing heat to the different construction sites on the Park. During the Games, it will provide heating, cooling (for air conditioning) and power for the venues across the Olympic Park.
After the Games
After the Games, the Energy Centre will be joined by a visitors’ education centre to be located in an adjacent Edwardian building, the only building to be retained from the site as it was prior to London 2012. The centre itself will continue to operate and power the venues, as well as the new buildings and communities that will be developed in the local area.
