Architects behind the London 2012 Olympics took home at least £400M of "public money for designing" the Games’ flagship venues, legacy and infrastructure, according to Merlin Fulcher of the ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. A total of 19 "key architects, engineers and designers" netted more than £374M in "direct payments from one source alone -- the Olympic Delivery Authority" between '06 and '13. Alongside the ODA’s spending, "the Greater London Authority paid more than" £25M to EDAW to "masterplan the winning Olympic bid" and the London Legacy Development Corp. shelled out £13.3M to firms designing its legacy. The findings, "which emerged following a Freedom of Information Act request," show that Zaha Hadid took home £9.2M for "masterminding the Aquatics Centre showstopper," which, at £269M, "cost more than three times its original estimate to build." Hopkins, meanwhile, received £8.5M for "the 2011 Stirling Prize-shortlisted Velodrome," while Stanton Williams earned £6.5M for its Eton Manor tennis and hockey complex. The top five payments the ODA made to architects and engineers from '06-13 went to Arup (£135M); Atkins (£134M); EDAW (£59M); LDA Design (£10M) and Zaha Hadid (£9.2M). The total bill "could be even higher, but ODA figures revealed under the act exclude details for design and build subcontractors, including Olympic Stadium designer Populous and the Athletes' Village's 13 architects" (ARCHITECTS JOURNAL, 10/10).
