Snow resort plans for Olympic media centre
A large indoor destination snow resort could be created on the site of the 2012 media complex in the heart of London's Olympic Park.
Acer Snowmec has announced that it has submitted an expression of interest to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) for the Snow in the City mixed-use development. A development consortium team - led by ASL Developments - has chosen Gensler to draw up plans for the scheme, which is set to deliver five Olympic legacy promises.
Proposals include a 28,500sq m (306,771sq ft) snow sports and leisure complex, which will cater for alpine skiing; cross country skiing; skier cross; boarder cross; and freerider skiing. A snowboard park with an Olympic-sized super-pipe and bobsleigh, skeleton and luge runs will also be provided, as well as ice skating and curling facilities.
Snow in the City will also feature a sports academy; a sporting injuries clinic; an office and media centre; lifestyle retail provision; a three-star hotel; and other leisure facilities. Malcolm Clulow, ASL Developments chair and Acer Snowmec managing director, said: "The anticipated footfall to the indoor snow resort alone could be well in excess of a million visitations a year.
"Snow in the City certainly delivers on the Olympic Legacy Promises, breathing new life into the community."
Triple Olympian Konrad Bartelski, part of the development team, added: "By bringing the mountains to East London, that would create an Olympic legacy more exciting than any-one ever imagined."