Located in the south of the Olympic Park, the iconic wave-shaped Aquatics Centre, which hosts the Paralympic Swimming, will be the first thing most spectators see when they arrive at the Olympic Park via Stratford Station because it stands alongside the vast bridge to the north of the Park which acts as the main entrance. Designed by Iraq-born architect Zaha Hadid, the Centre's most striking feature is its state-of-the-art sweeping 160m long roof, which is made from steel and glass on the outside and 37,000 individual strips of treated hardwood within, and has a longer single span than the roof at Heathrow's Terminal 5. Underneath this staggering edifice are a 50m competition pool, 25m competition diving pool and a 50m warm-up pool. Complications with the elaborate roof design and the complex heating system meant that the initial £73m budget for the Aquatics Centre - the fifth and final permanent venue to be completed - skyrocketed to £268m. Labelled the unofficial "gateway" to the Games due to its position, the Centre has a 2,500-seat permanent faculty, but will be able to house 17,500 spectators during the Games. To do this, however, the eye-catching stingray-style structure has had to be flanked by two unsightly temporary stands that unfortunately diminish the Centre's architectural excellence.