Sir Michael Hopkins, the British architect who designed the Velodrome for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, has died at the age of 88 ©Hopkins Architects

Sir Michael Hopkins, the British architect who designed the Velodrome for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, has died at the age of 88, it was announced today.

Considered a pioneer of high-tech architecture, the London 2012 Velodrome on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was among his most famous buildings.

The Velodrome was completed in February 2011, the first Olympic Park venue to be finished, at a cost of £105 million ($134 million/€123 million).

The roof is designed to reflect the geometry of cycling as well as being lightweight and efficient reflecting a bike.

There is also a 360-degree concourse level with windows allowing people views of the Olympic Park.

The Velodrome built for the 2012 Olympics in London was affectionately nicknamed
The Velodrome built for the 2012 Olympics in London was affectionately nicknamed "The Pringle" ©Getty Images

The Velodrome was built to be energy efficient, with rooflights reducing the need for artificial lights, and natural ventilation reducing the need for air conditioning.

Rainwater is also collected, which reduces the amount of water used from the municipal water system.

It was praised for its "near perfect synthesis of form and function".

The 250-metre track was made with 56 kilometres of Siberian Pine and 350,000 nails.

It is informally known as "The Pringle" due to its distinctive shape.

It was shortlisted for the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects RIBA Stirling Prize and won the 2011 Structural Awards Supreme Award for Structural Engineering.

In 2011, it also won the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award at the British Construction Industry Awards.

The 250-metres track in the Velodrome for the 2012 Olympics in London was made with 56 kilometres of Siberian Pine and 350,000 nails ©Getty Images
The 250-metres track in the Velodrome for the 2012 Olympics in London was made with 56 kilometres of Siberian Pine and 350,000 nails ©Getty Images

Sir Michael had founded the eponymous architectural firm with his wife Patty and was involved in designing many well-known buildings, including the Mound Stand at Lord’s Cricket Ground and Portcullis House opposite the Houses of Parliament in London.

In 2014, Sir Michael featured alongside Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Nicholas Grimshaw and Terry Farrell in the three-part BBC series The Brits Who Built the Modern World.

Hopkins Architects principal Michael Taylor described him as "consistently rigorous in his thinking, brilliant in his analysis and fearlessly creative in his designing".

Sir Michael had died from vascular dementia on Saturday (June 17).