• Olympic Curves (mostly)

The Olympic Park is more functional than parading as an architectural showpiece, and most of its buildings are temporary.  The theme for the best of them seems to be ‘being curvaceous’.  Here are a few snaps taken mostly at breakfast-time last Wednesday, when the weather was glowering over the still-deserted concourses.

One of the protruding ends of Hadid’s Aquatic Centre, right by the Stratford entrance.  It should look amazing once the angular sidepieces are demolished.

This is one of the temporary structures, the huge white box of the Basketball Arena, viewed from the riverbank.

To the left of the Basketball Arena are the unmistakable concave roofline of the Velodrome and the comfortingly convex shape of the Bandstand below.

Not so comforting now, eh?

Here are five shots of the Velodrome, venue for some of the most exciting races of the 2012 Olympics.

Velodrome with red railings and red/blue flags.

Velodrome, north end, with seagulls.

The shark theme reappears.

At both ends.

Velodrome, south end, weather cauldron.

And a final couple of shots by the Olympic Stadium, with some blue sky!

I hadn’t realised that the dagger shapes were made by twisting the banners like ribbons.

These elegant lighting masts, topped by wind turbines, were so discreet as to be almost invisible.