ondon Aquatics Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford

© Stefano Ravera/Alamy Stock Phot

Go with the flow. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London

Built to stage the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the London Aquatics Centre is a 560-acre complex, containing 6.5 kilometres of waterways and 10.5 hectares of woods, and holds a place among the most recognised green spaces in the UK. Award-winning architect Zaha Hadid designed the 160 metre-long and 80 metre-wide wave-like roof of the main building to mirror the surrounding riverside landscapes. Interestingly, when studying the east London site before construction, archaeologists came across many prized finds: four Iron Age skeletons, Roman coins, a 4,000-year-old Neolithic flint axe, and a 19th century boat.