The centre was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid in 2004 before London won the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

[2] The 50-m pool is 3 metres deep, like the one in the Beijing National Aquatics Center, in order to be fast.

[5] For the television coverage of the Olympics, the pools were also equipped with innovative cameras in order to present the action from multiple angles.

[7] On 1 December 2005, Hadid was instructed to revise her designs after a specification change led to a doubling of the £75-million estimated cost.

[7] By exposing the concrete finish rather than painting or cladding, the design demonstrates the precast-concrete skills provided by Peri.

The precast floor terracing was manufactured by Bell & Webster Concrete in Lincolnshire, England.

The two temporary "wings" have been removed, reducing the capacity to a regular 2,800 with an additional 1,000 seats available for major events.

[5] Of all the swimming venues built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the Aquatics Centre is the only one that will remain afterwards, albeit in a downsized form.

[7][17] The adjacent Water Polo Arena was dismantled after the Olympic Games, which left the Aquatics Centre as the sole swimming venue at the park.