London 2012 Aquatic Centre

Having completed many prestigious leisure installations, ARDEX were delighted to work in partnership with specialist tiling contractor, W B Simpson Limited, and supply the ideal tile fixing system to assist with the completion of the iconic Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park, London.

The Aquatics Centre was designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid, who worked in conjunction with leading swimming pool architects, S & P. The breath taking 17,500 seat Aquatics Centre forms part of the gateway to the Olympic Park, and is housed beneath a distinctive wave-like curved roof. The centre houses a 50m competition pool, a 50m warm up pool, and a 25m competition diving pool, with a ‘dry’ warm-up area for divers. The project required a proven tiling solution which could help deliver fast track completion, as well as the ability to withstand the challenging environment and rigorous hygiene demands.

As with previous high profile projects, including Heathrow Airport, Kings Cross St Pancras Station, Harrods and London Zoo, it was the proven performance and versatility of ARDEX products that won favour with the contractor. In addition, the ARDEX Business Development and Technical Services teams provided on-going support at every stage of the project, from rapid response to specification writing, to installation visits and on-site testing. ARDEX’s purpose-built training facility enabled them to bring together all parties involved in the specification, from the client through to the main contractor, ensuring total confidence in the specification, and subsequent on-site application.

One of the key influences in ARDEX winning this prestigious project was the fact that ARDEX X 77 MICROTEC Flexible Floor & Wall Tile Adhesive was suitable for fixing all of the tiles in the Aquatic Centre. By using just one tile adhesive, cost savings and application time was saved. ARDEX MICROTEC X 77 has an open time of up to 60 minutes, which means you can spread larger areas of adhesive in a single application, enabling the team at the Aquatic Centre installation to work more efficiently, and allowing more time when tiling awkward areas, or cutting around fixtures and fittings in the pool and pool surrounds.

Andrew Reid, ARDEX National Business Development Manager commented, “The Aquatics Centre is an amazing facility, and one that will benefit the local community for years to come. Our tiling systems have been specified in many leisure projects, but to win the contract for the Aquatics Centre has been a great achievement, and a testimony to ARDEX’s ‘gold standard’ product range and support. The feedback from the installation team was extremely positive, and the completed venue is truly stunning.”