MAJOR PROJECT REPORT UK GAMES: Delivering the vision A YEAR TO GO Celebrating the Delivery of lonDon 2012’s 07|2011 olympiC park anD venues UK Games: A Year to Go | Major Project report 07 | 2011 Foreword 04 Building the Games How the Olympic Park has taken shape 10 Olympic Stadium Tackling design and construction of the centrepiece venue 16 With just over one year The moment that The project to build the Aquatics Centre to go to the Opening London was announced Olympic Park has been a Sweeping curves and Ceremony of the London as the Host City of the remarkable success and ❝ 2012 Olympic Games, Olympic and Paralympic tribute should be paid to precision finishes ❝ ❝ the construction of the venues and Games in July 2005 is etched on Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) 22 infrastructure remains on time and people’s memories. Almost as soon staff and all those construction within budget. Five years ago we as the President of the IOC finished workers involved who have Velodrome said that the summer of 2011 was uttering the word “London”, the consistently met the challenges set Creating the iconic cycling venue the point when we wanted the planning started – and we are by an immovable deadline and venues available for test events. reaping the benefits of that now. strict budget. They have all played 26 That is exactly where we are with The Olympic Park is already a vital roles in the success of the build Creating the Park the first events lined up for August spectacular addition to the London project that will be held-up as an on the Olympic Park. skyline which has seen a largely example of British construction and How the site was cleared and Success to date has been the underdeveloped area in east engineering excellence for decades cleaned up result of the hard work and London, roughly the size of Hyde to come. It has also been an dedication of the whole team Park, completely regenerated. From excellent advert for the British 34 working on this project – from the clearing and cleaning the site, to businesses that have supplied Other venues staff at the Olympic Delivery constructing state of the art sporting many of the materials for these Media centre, whitewater Authority (ODA) and our Delivery venues and an athletes’ village venues and are now winning Partner, CLM, to the 12,000-strong which after the Games will create a contracts to supply the London canoeing, basketball, water polo, workforce and the thousands of whole new community, this 2012 Organising Committee. The handball. Eton Manor, handball, businesses who have contributed development has been a triumph impact of the Games has reached sailing, athletes’ village to the construction project from for UK plc. Add in some of the most far and wide and many across the UK. The progress is advanced thinking in terms of communities across the UK have 48 testament to the skill and sustainability and it is clear that benefitted, be that through sport, Public art professionalism of the UK’s design, London 2012 has been the catalyst culture or business. engineering and construction Artwork for the Games for change in east London and in the Hugh Robertson MP industries. They have delivered a wider construction industry, of which Minister for Sport 50 world-class performance. we should be very proud. and the Olympics John Armitt Transport Chairman Lord Coe Getting spectators to and from Chair, London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority Organising Committee the Olympic venues Published by Emap Inform Written & edited by Printed By Part of Emap Ltd Mark Hansford Headley Brothers Margo Cole Greater London House Display Advertising Hampstead Road Design & Production tel: (020) 7728 4523 London NW1 7EJ Andrew Bolton fax: (020) 7728 4666 www.nce.co.uk James McCarthy www.cnplus.co.uk Tel (020) 7728 4540 E-mail [email protected] UK Games: A Year to Go | Major Project report 07 | 2011 Winning combination: The Olympic Park Building venues with the Stadium in the foreground the Olympic Games Introduction By Mark Hansford In exactly one year from becoming a park that will be used today the world’s finest for not just three weeks of Games but to be a catalyst for the long sportsmen and women term regeneration of East London. will be assembled in Targets to make the project an London, ready to examplar for the industry in terms compete in what is of health and safety, sustainable construction and engaging and billed as the greatest training up a local workforce have show on earth: the all been hit; and all this has been London 2012 Olympics. achieved without busting the “We’ve had some of the best people was a confidence that we wouldn’t.” £9.3bn budget. and best firms in the industry wanting From day one the project has Driving the whole project from start to be involved, wanting to succeed, benefited from seven years of broad Getting the Olympic Park in East to finish has been the Olympic Delivery and wanting to be seen to succeed. political support – a rarity for London and the plethora of venues Authority (ODA), led by its chairman This is an example of the industry rising construction projects and no mean feat around the south east designed, John Armitt, and the ODA’s delivery to the challenge and showing that, given the project got off the blocks built and operational has been an partner CLM. Armitt’s top team and the actually, it has a lot of self-confidence. under a Labour government and a Olympian effort in its own right. CLM team – formed by CH2M Hill, So, even though everyone on the Labour London mayor and is now And, against all odds and public Laing O’Rourke and Mace and led by outside thought we would fail, there heading towards the finishing line expectation, the British construction programme director Ian Galloway – under a Conservative government and industry has stood up and delivered. gelled rapidly and spent two years Conservative London mayor. The main venues are all ready planning, planning and planning some “Even though everyone “It just shows what we can do if and being handed over to Games more to ensure that, once the project on the outside thought you’ve got politicians all singing from organiser LOCOG; the Athletes’ moved into the main four year build we would fail, there was the same hymn sheet,” says Armitt. Village has beaten banking phase, nothing was unexpected, ODA chief executive Dennis Hone, crisis-induced funding issues and is unplanned or unmanageable. a confidence that we who stepped up to the top job from racing towards completion; and the “This project has demonstrated wouldn’t” financial director last year when Park itself has shrugged off its what the industry can achieve if it has John Armitt, chairman, ODA previous chief executive David Higgins industrial wasteland past and unity of purpose,” states Armitt. moved over to Network Rail, echoes July 2005 December 2006 May 2007 June 2007 October 2007 May 2008 July 2008 London awarded Demolition starts Earthworks Power line Full Olympic Park Construction Construction 2012 Olympic on Olympic Park start on Olympic tunnels planning starts on starts on Aquatics and Paralympic Park completed permission Stadium, Olympic Centre Games and vacant secured Village and START 2005 START possession of Sailing venue Olympic Park OLYMPIC TIMELINE OLYMPIC 4 NCE in association with the Olympic Delivery Authority UK Games: A Year to Go | Major Project report 07 | 2011 build them from its share of the “Our job was to be seen as a contingency budget. client of choice” “There was a major issue with the Howard Shiplee, IBC/MBC and the Village,” says Hone. “Both wanted private sector investors, construction director, ODA and both had them lined up before the credit crunch. But bank lending got suddenly more expensive and the loan to value ratio was falling. There was a deal on the table from the banks, but we took a decision that it was not value for money and that there was not enough risk transfer. So we went to government and said it was better if 30k they stayed in the public sector. Maybe Number of people who will it was the harder thing to do, but we have worked on the Park by 2012 grasped the nettle and now the Olympic Park Legacy Company has taken the IBC/MBC to the market and we have got world class property developers bidding for the Village. 6,449 “It would have been easy to take Number of people working on the deal, but it would not have been the Park on the busiest day right,” he states. That a successful outcome was reached to such a potentially project-threatening problem stands as testament to the level of confidence in the ODA. That came entirely through 246ha the strength of team unity throughout Size of the Olympic Park the supply chain, which in turn came from the ODA being an intelligent client, aided by a properly incentivised this view. “Cross party support has And tough decisions have had to be The fact that a solution was found delivery partner that knew its role. been very good and it continues to this made, whether they were ditching the – and one that didn’t push the project “Recognising the role of the delivery day. It is a credit to the parties that no Park’s wind turbine, re-engineering the over budget – is testament to the way partner was an essential ingredient,” cheap points have been scored,” he Olympic Stadium to get costs down the project’s finances have been run, says Armitt.