The Olympic Park has been designed to not only provide a green setting for the 2012 games but to be a desirable place for people to live and wildlife to thrive for many years to come.
When the games have finished in September, there is just eight months before the park opens to the public. During that time the area devoted to landscaping will almost double as concourses are removed and turned to grass and temporary sports structures dismantled to make way for more open spaces.
The North Park with the stadium to the left and Energy Centre, (brown square building) to the right. This bio-mass boiler will provide power, heating and cooling throughout the games. The River Lea is a focal point of this area.
The north-facing semi-circular spectator lawn to the centre of this picture is mirrored by a south-facing border of Aster, Echinacea and Miscanthus.
Close up of the Aster border
One of four frog ponds made using logs reclaimed from the site. Other wildlife habitats include bat boxes, otter holts, sand martin and kingfisher banks.
More than 320,000 young wetland plants were grown on mats which were then planted next to the river. Some were grown from seed collected from the site before it was landscaped. Wooden tiered seating in the back-ground helps the site achieve its aim of visitors never being more than 50m away from a seat.
The canal adjacent to the stadium with banks of annual wild flowers and a green wall of Lonicera nitida.
A wild flower seed mix created by Nigel Dunnett establishing on a bank next to The Orbit. A steel structure designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond which will act as a viewing tower during the games.
The Stadium flanked by the canal and more wild flowers.
Towards the Velodrome – one of the site’s permanent structures. After the games a one-mile road bike track and urban mountain bike track will be built to further enhance this sporting facility.
The Great British Garden was designed by Hannah Clegg and Rachel Read winners of a competition organised by the RHS. A more traditional garden, it will be gated to become a ‘garden within the park’.