����ý

Iconic London landmarks will provide a dramatic backdrop to the 2012 Olympic Games, organisers have said.

Unveiling new images of temporary venues which will appear across the city, architects said they wanted to leave spectators in no doubt they were in London.

Locations to be transformed during Games time include Lord's cricket ground which will host the archery contest and Greenwich Park where equestrian events and parts of the modern pentathlon will be held.

Other venues include Hyde Park, The Mall and Horse Guards Parade in the heart of Whitehall which will stage beach volleyball - tipped to be one of the most sought-after tickets of the Games.

Jeff Keas, principal of architects Populous, said: "We are putting sport at the core with iconic elements of London in the background to create a unique experience for all user groups."

He added: "We want to contribute to the memories of the city and how London can showcase itself to the rest of the world."

Mr Keas said the team, which includes London 2012 organisers (Locog) and engineers and designers Atkins, had worked carefully to protect the historic sites, especially the World Heritage site of Greenwich Park where local residents have raised concerns about the impact of the construction work.

The 17th Century Queens House by Inigo Jones will form the backdrop for the equestrian events but the sight lines of the historic vista to the Thames will be preserved he said.

Mr Keas added that the orientation of the archery field of play had been switched to East-West at Lord's so that the action was sandwiched between the modern media centre and the historic pavilion.

Even the new Lee Valley White Water Centre at Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, which was constructed to host the Olympic canoe slalom, will have temporary seating at Games time which will be removed afterwards.

Steve Cardwell of Atkins said the Games provided a unique engineering challenge: "There is no handbook for designing the Olympics, you can't go and look up how to do it."

Among the challenges were a sloping site in Greenwich, the delicate wicket area at Lord's and supplying the power needed to pump 15 cubic metres of water per second down the Lee Valley course.

Organisers Locog stressed that building an "overlay" layer of temporary structures would mean sustainability targets were met and a legacy of white elephants avoided.

James Bulley, Locog Director of Venues and Infrastructure, said: "The London 2012 Games will deliver what no other Games has before in terms of the complexity and scale of the event overlay and temporary structures needed.

"Alongside the absolute commitment to meet the Games requirements, central to our plans have been legacy, sustainability, accessibility and safety."

In all, some 250,000 seats will be put in place, 165,000 square metres of tents will be erected , along with 140km of fencing and 250km of crowd barriers.