More than 100 teams from across Europe, Asia and North America submitted expressions of interest to create two new distinctive areas that will bring together a vibrant mix of cultural events, beautiful spaces and recreational uses for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The centrepiece will be a major public space that will welcome crowds to the south park. Sitting between the Aquatics Centre, the Stadium, the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the 2012 Gardens, this urban landscape will have a South Bank feel with plans for a visitor centre, water features, imaginative play facilities and host a range of diverse festivals and performances.

The second area will be set within the stunning green river valley in the north park and has  potential to include one of London’s most inspiring playgrounds and a visitor centre with a café and seating terrace, along with indoor multi-purpose space for community-use.

Five teams have been shortlisted for the north park competition and five teams for the south park competition to go on to the second stage to develop concept designs with winners announced later this year.

Kathryn Firth, Chief of Design at the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said:

“The design competition has attracted worldwide interest from award winning practices wanting to create a lasting and influential design in one of the world’s great cities.

“We have a dynamic mix of international and home grown talent that we expect to come forward with cutting edge designs for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”

      
The shortlisted companies are:

South Park Competition

• Agence Ter (Paris) in collaboration with architects Heneghan Peng (Ireland), engineering consultants (park) Buro Happold (Bath), engineering consultants (buildings) ARUP(London), lighting designers Bartenbach LichtLabor (Austria), and quantity surveyorsGardiner & Theobald
    
• Gustafson Porter (London) in collaboration with architect Niall McLaughlin (Ireland), engineers ARUP (London) and quantity surveyors Davis Langdon
    
• James Corner Field Operations in collaboration with engineers ARUP (London), Make Architects (London), identity and graphics by tomato, planting and horticulture by Piet Oudolf, lighting designers and consultants L’Observatoire International (New York), events and live activity planning by Groundbreaking, play consultants Playlink, quantity surveyorsDeloitte
    
• Ken Smith Landscape Architect in collaboration with Michael Maltzan Architecture(California), civil, structural and sustainable engineers Buro Happold (Bath), landscape designer Piet Oudolf, public space program and management ETM associates (New Jersey) and cost consultant, design project manager, specification consultant Davis Langdon
    
• West 8 (Netherlands) in collaboration with architect Benthem Crouwel Architekten BV bna(Netherlands), engineer Buro Happold (Bath), and quantity surveyor Davis Langdon(Australia)
     

North Park Competition

• Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture Ltd (London) in collaboration with structural engineerEngineers HRW (London), services consultant OR Consulting (London) and quality surveyorStockdale
    
• David Kohn Architects (London) in collaboration with landscape architects David Buck(London), Davies White (Surrey), consultancy Alan Baxer & Associates LLP (London) and project managers and cost consultants Jackson Coles (London)
     
• erect architecture (London) in collaboration with consulting structural engineers Tall engineers (London), service engineers Max Fordham (London), landscape consultants Land Use Consultants (London), artist and enabler Ashley McMormick (London), quantity surveyor Huntley Cartwright (Surrey) and play safety experts Children’s Play Advisory Service (Coventry)
     
• The Landscape Partnership (London) in collaboration with Sarah Wigglesworth Architects(London), structural engineers Jane Wernick Associates (London), M&E engineersSkelly&Couch (London), and cost management by Turner & Townsend (London)
    
• Ushida Findlay architects (London) in collaboration with landscape architect and masterplanner Grant associates (Bath), structural and services engineer ARUP (London), lighting designer Speirs and Major (London), quantity surveyor Davis Langdon and play design best practice and enabling by Play England (London)

The shortlist concludes the competition’s first phase which was aimed at attracting the very best of international talent with technically competent and professional teams to register their interest in the project.

The second stage of the competition is for the short-listed teams to submit a concept design in November which will be judged by an expert panel who will decide the winners which will be announced by the end of the year.