London 2012 celebrates iconic London landmarks with launch of pin badges
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The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today revealed the designs of the ‘Landmark London’ pin badges which will go on sale later this month. Each of the landmarks has now been re-created into a metal pin badge incorporating the London 2012 logo. (Images of the pin badges can be downloaded here)
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) revealed the designs of the ‘Landmark London’ pin badges which will go on sale later this month. Each of the landmarks has now been re-created into a metal pin badge incorporating the London 2012 logo.
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of LOCOG presented each London Borough Leader with the first pin badge produced for their borough at a London Councils Leaders’ Committee earlier this morning.
In September 2009 LOCOG and London Councils launched the ‘Landmark London’ competition. Londoners were invited to vote for the most iconic landmark in their borough that they would most like to see featured in an individual pin badge. Winning landmarks range from visitor attractions, theatres and museums to windmills, clock towers and bridges.
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of LOCOG, said: “London is a fantastically diverse city and the variety of landmarks chosen by Londoners to represent their local areas highlights this perfectly. These pin badges are a fantastic way to showcase to the UK and the rest of the world what a wonderful city London is and I am delighted to see how proud people are of their city and specific borough. I hope they will wear their pin badges with pride.”
Councillor Merrick Cockell, Chairman of London Councils, said: “With the Winter Games over, the spotlight has truly turned on London. We are delighted to have worked so closely with LOCOG on a project that really demonstrates how important London 2012 will be for the whole capital. We cannot wait to show off our city in 2012, and these badges will be a fantastic introduction to just some of the many delights London has to offer.”
The Landmark London pin badges will be available for wider sale across London in the coming weeks from Runner’s Need, Crest of London, World Duty Free and the Museum of London.
The winning landmarks by borough are:
Barking and Dagenham: The Catch A gateway public artwork for Barking Town Centre reflecting the area’s Saxon heritage and involvement in the fishing industry.
Barnet: The Archer Statue Sculpted by Eric Aumonier and located outside East Finchley tube station, the archer points his arrow to the opening of a 17.3 mile tunnel running all the way to Morden.
Bexley: Hall Place A Grade I listed house built for the Lord Mayor of London during the reign of King Henry VIII, now houses the Bexley Museum Collection, a tourist information centre and riverside tearooms.
Brent: Neasden Mandir Temple Popularly known as ‘Neasden Temple’, The Mandir is a masterpiece of Indian craftsmanship and continues to attract over half a million visitors annually.
Bromley: Crystal Palace Transmitting Station and Park Crystal Palace Park hosted the great exhibition of 1851, showcasing the glasshouse with over a million feet of glass. It is the site of the BBC’s main broadcast tower in London, built in the 1950s. The Athletics Stadium within the grounds hosts international track and field competition.
Camden: St Pancras Station When it opened in 1868, St Pancras’s ironwork train shed was the largest enclosed space in the world. The Grade I listed building has recently been refurbished and is the jewel of the crown of the High Speed 1 railway.
City of London: Tower Bridge Designed by Sir Horace Jones and Sir John Wolfe-Barry, the Bridge was built over the Thames in 1894. It is one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world.
City of Westminster: Westminster Abbey Steeped in more than 1000 years of history, it has been the coronation church since 1066.
Croydon: Croydon Clock Tower Built in 1895 as the borough’s Town Hall, it now also houses the Croydon Museum and art galleries, a cinema and library.
Ealing: Ealing Studios One of the great names in British entertainment, Ealing Studios is famous around the world as the home to the great Ealing comedies of the 1940’s and 1950’s. It s the oldest film studio in the world still in production.
Enfield: Forty Hall Forty Hall was built in 1629. This Grade I listed building it provides a link with Enfield’s past while providing the borough with an outstanding venue for many arts and cultural events.
Greenwich: Old Royal Observatory A monument to navigational research, this is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and is famous as the source of the Prime Meridian line, dividing East from West (longitude 0° 0′ 0”). The Observatory galleries unravel time, space and astronomy; the Planetarium lets visitors explore the heavens.
Hackney: Hackney Empire Each Christmas a cosmopolitan, diverse audience visits for sensational shows. International opera companies, famous orchestras, leading touring productions, top comedians and musicians have all appeared.
Hammersmith and Fulham: Hammersmith Bridge Hammersmith Bridge was built in 1887 as a replacement for the original suspension bridge dating from 1827. The present bridge was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette.
Haringey: Alexandra Palace ‘Ally Pally’ finally opened in 1875, two years after it was destroyed by fire. Damaged again by fire in 1980, it now has event halls, a public ice rink and parklands.
Harrow: St Mary’s on the Hill This beautiful church is visible for miles around; it has a history going back 900 years.
Havering: Upminster Windmill This Grade II listed building was built by local farmer James Noakes in 1803. The windmill continued to grind wheat and produce flour until 1934.
Hillingdon: Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Centre Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Centre will have the first new 50m indoor pool in London for 40 years.
Hounslow: Chiswick House Built in the mid-1700’s by Sir Edward Seymour, the house is considered to be the finest surviving example of Palladian architecture in Britain.
Islington: St John’s Gate, Clerkenwell The In the original Tudor Gate House to the Priory’s English headquarters, visitors can see the Priory church and 12th century crypt.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: Natural History Museum The building was designed in 1865 by Alfred Waterhouse to house Sir Hans Sloane’s extensive collection of natural curiosities.
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames: Telephone Boxes sculpture (London Road) A sculpture by David Mach, commissioned in 1988 for the new relief road, these disused red telephone boxes have been tipped up to lean against one another in an arrangement resembling dominoes.
Lambeth: London Eye At 135 metres, The London Eye is the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel, with 40 kilometre panoramic views on a clear day. It has welcomed over 30 million visitors to date.
Lewisham: Horniman Museum Victorian tea trader Frederick John Horniman began collecting specimens, musical instruments and artefacts from around the world in the 1860s, and the growing collection was moved to a bespoke museum in 1901.
Merton: Wimbledon Centre Court (AELTC) Centre Court has seen a number of changes since its first match in 1877. It is recognisable the world over and recent additions include a fully retractable roof.
Newham: Three Mills Three Mills and its surrounding waterways is a beautiful conservation area for industrial heritage and astonishingly abundant wildlife.
Redbridge: Churchill Statue On Woodford Green stands a statue of Sir Winston Churchill, Britain’s wartime leader who was MP for Wanstead and Woodford for 40 years.
Richmond upon Thames: Richmond Park London’s largest park with 2,500 acres of hills, woodlands, gardens and grassland with stunning views as far as St Paul’s Cathedral.
Southwark: Globe Theatre Performances and an education programme combine to create an international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare’s work and the playhouse for which he wrote.
Sutton: Honeywood Museum Located by Carshalton Ponds, Honeywood dates from the 17th century.
Tower Hamlets: Tower of London Founded by William the Conqueror in 1066-7, this is one of the world’s most famous fortresses, and one of Britain’s most visited historic sites.
Waltham Forest: Waltham Forest Town Hall The centrepiece of the impressive 1930s Civic Centre complex by P.D. Hepworth, completed during the early years of World War II.
Wandsworth: Battersea Power Station A Grade II listed building built in 1939. It was the first in a series of generators set up as part of the National Grid power distribution system, standardising the supply of electricity in England.
Olympic Park inclusive design hailed as setting new standard for industry
The design of the Olympic Park has been praised for its inclusivity and accessibility, and highlighted as potentially changing the way future developments are designed.
The Olympic Delivery Authority’s ‘Inclusive Design Strategy’ was recognised at the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) ‘Award for Equality and Diversity’ at an awards ceremony in London last week.
The judges’ comments stated: ‘The Olympic Delivery Authority has turned traditional design principles on their heads. By taking a holistic view of people’s needs, it is using the power of the Games to change the way that people think about designing places… There is a strong indication that these principles will influence future sports facilities design.’
The ODA published its ‘Inclusive Design Strategy‘ in September 2008, which set out the framework for how the Olympic Park will become the most accessible and inclusive in London. Practical examples include:
- wider pathways with smooth surfaces and seating and resting places at regular intervals;
- setting a new UK benchmark for wheelchair spaces and amenity seating;
- gentle gradients giving all users greater freedom of movement;
- clear and easily understood signage;
- excellent provision of baby changing facilities and buggy stores; and
- a range of accessible toilet facilities.
ODA Head of Design Jerome Frost said: ‘We want to ensure that people of all cultures, faiths and ages and disabled people find the Olympic Park welcoming and easy to use in 2012.
‘Inclusive and accessible design principles have always been at the heart of our plans and we have embedded them into the ODA’s procurement, design and construction processes. An integrated approach across all buildings, open spaces, parklands, infrastructure and public transport means that we will be able to go further than any previous Olympic Park.
‘After the Games, the most accessible sporting venues in London and an inclusive public park and will be left for the local community. Aside from the physical legacy, we hope we can set a precedent for the industry and future developments will meet the same high inclusivity standards.’
Bridge boost for London 2012 rowing and canoe sprint venue
A new bridge has been lifted into place at Eton College Rowing Centre, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced today, keeping plans on track for enhanced Rowing and Canoe Sprint facilities for the London 2012 Games. The new bridge provides increased access to the finish line area of the venue and improved areas for athlete warm-up.
Construction work is well underway to enhance the venue’s existing facilities to provide improved facilities for athlete warm-up and Canoe Sprint events during the London 2012 Games. A key part of the enhancement works has now been completed with work to widen the entrance to the return lane finished and a new 50m bridge lifted into place.
ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: ‘Eton College Rowing Centre is a first-class venue and the enhancements we are delivering will create the best possible facilities for the world’s best athletes to use in 2012. Lifting a new bridge into the finish line area completes a key part of the enhancement works and keeps us on track to deliver improved facilities well before the Games begin in 2012.’
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: ‘Dorney Lake is already a superb facility which will be further enhanced by this work. The widening of the return lane offers improved areas for athletes’ boats during warm up and cool down between races and the new bridge provides increased access to the finish line area which will be the centre of attention during the Games. This is a world class venue and it is exciting to see the enhanced facilities take shape.’
Construction work on the enhanced facilities at the Eton College Rowing Centre began in September last year, starting with the demolition and removal of the venue’s original finish line area bridge and groundworks to widen the entrance to the return lane. With the widened entrance in place, the new 50m-span bridge, weighing 250 tonnes, has now been lifted into place using a 1200-tonne crane.
Further enhancement works are continuing on site, including the construction of a cut-through between the competition lake and the return lane with a new bridge over the cut-through, and the upgrade of the existing gravel/stone access road up to the competition venue for use during the Games. The Eton Dorney enhancement works are expected to be complete in spring 2010.
Key Olympic Park utilities building up-and-running
An essential new utilities building in the Olympic Park is now operational, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced.
Key architectural elements have been included in the construction of the pumping station to create a visually interesting building including the use of imagery on the external face of the building, feature lighting of the building and tower, landscaping works, and the use of striking colours on key pieces of equipment.
ODA Director of Infrastructure and Utilities, Simon Wright, said: ‘The Pumping Station delivers another essential building block in a new network of utilities that will serve the Olympic Park for generations to come. While the new sporting venues in the Olympic Park will be the main attraction in 2012, the utilities buildings we are constructing will be every bit as essential in helping us deliver a successful Games and a lasting legacy from 2012. The use of key design elements ensure the pumping station is not just functional but also another building of architectural interest in the Olympic Park.’
Design elements
- Pumping station built as a circular building to reflect engineering used in sewer shafts beneath the ground
- Images have been applied to the exterior of the Pumping Station building of Sir Joseph Balzagette’s drawings of a Victorian sewage pumping station to depict the history of the London sewer network and its Victorian origins
- Two large cylinders housed on outside of building that form part of the air extraction system have been painted pink – the striking pink cylinders have already been nicknamed Pinky and Perky by site workers
- The building includes a 12m-high ventilation tower which includes a blue light at the top to create a ‘beacon’ in the south of the Olympic Park
Construction
- Construction of Pumping Station and sewer networks started in June 2008 and more than 100 workers were involved at the peak of activity
- The pumping station building is 6m high and the circular outer shell measures 20m across
- Beneath pumping station structure is a 16m-deep, 12.5m diameter shaft connecting the pumping station with 1.8km of sewer tunnels of 1.2m diameter which have been constructed throughout the Olympic Park.
- The complex network of new sewers had to be constructed around a number of obstacles throughout the Olympic Park including 4 rivers and watercourses and 2 operational railway lines
- Sewer networks collect waste water from sites of main venues and buildings in the Olympic Park, and transport it to the pumping station building in the south of the Park where it is then discharged into the Northern Outfall Sewer
- The Olympic Stadium is set to be the first Olympic Park venue to have a permanent connection with the new pumping station and sewer system
Sustainability features
- A Living Green roof included on pumping station building to help enhance ecological value and biodiversity of Olympic Park by attracting local wildlife
- The roof will have 150sq m of biodiverse space consisting of meadow and grassland planting
- The building will include 12 boxes for bats, black redstart and house sparrows
- External landscaping designed so that surface water runs-off to far corner of the site where a Field Maple tree has been planted to help give further visual interest to the building
London 2012 continues to make positive progress
The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission concluded its fifth full visit (25-26 November) to the city of London. With less than 1,000 days to go to the London 2012 Opening Ceremony, the Commission was able to hear about the advances made by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and its partners and share their thoughts and experiences on the planning for the Games. The two-day session focused principally on the operational delivery of the Games; and the Commission received in-depth updates on the progress of its operations.
Commenting after the meeting, IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Denis Oswald said, “Once again, we have had very productive meetings with our partners at London 2012 and we are very positive about the progress that they are making in preparing for the Games.”
He continued, “It is over a year since the Beijing Games came to a close, and LOCOG has clearly been able to learn from its experiences last year and integrate them into planning for 2012. This was evident from the good discussions and sharing of information that we had around a number of topics including venues, infrastructure, workforce, city preparations and LOCOG’s volunteer programme, which will be launched next year. LOCOG also updated us on the proposals to move badminton and rhythmic gymnastics to Wembley Arena and we are satisfied with progress on this issue. LOCOG is discussing the proposal with the two International Federations concerned, and we look forward to hearing LOCOG’s position at our Executive Board meeting in December.”
LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe commented, “We have been incredibly busy in the last seven months. We have brought nine new sponsors to the table and have now raised a total of nearly GBP 600m. We have made significant progress across all our operation planning, from sports schedules and test events to our ticking and volunteer programmes and the detailed venue and city operations. Our organisation is growing into a lean, focused Organising Committee and we are in great shape. We are delighted that the IOC – which, after all, is the expert in staging the Games – is pleased with our progress and we look forward to demonstrating the continued progress when the Commission visits again next year.
With venue construction continuing on or ahead of schedule and the Games drawing ever nearer, the focus of this Coordination Commission was largely on operations and planning than on the excellent construction and regeneration work being carried out by the Olympic Delivery Authority. With this in mind, the Commission spent time discussing with LOCOG and its partners, including the Government and the Mayor of London’s office, a number of operational subjects including athlete services, ticketing, city operations, technology, press operations, transport, sport and Paralympic Games operations.
London 2012: Sustainability features per venue
Olympic Stadium
- Lightest Olympic Stadium to date – minimising use of steel and reducing carbon footprint
- unwanted gas pipelines used for the roof truss which saved producing new steel
- high recycled content used for concrete foundations
- materials delivered to site by water, including delivery of pipes
- bird and bat boxes built into Stadium site
- recycled granite from King George V docks used for Stadium river banks
Aquatics Centre
- high recycled content used for concrete foundations
- Water used to clean the swimming pool filters will be recycled for toilet flushing
- 3,500sq m of ‘living roof’ – biodiversity space for wildlife
- Legal and sustainable timber used for cladding
- Bird and bat boxes built into Aquatics Centre bridge
Velodrome
- Strategically placed roof lights will reduce on the need for artificial light
- Almost 100 per cent naturally ventilated
- Designed to reduce water consumption by 44 per cent
- Rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing and landscape irrigation
- Light-weight venue design lowers carbon footprint
Handball
- 100 per cent recycled aggregate for piling
- Rainwater harvesting to reduce potable water demand
- 100 light pipes in the ceiling to allow natural light into the venue
- Rainwater harvesting to reduce potable water demand
Eton Manor
- More than 617sq m ‘living roof’ – biodiversity space for wildlife
- the Park’s 120m tall wind turbine will be built next on the Eton Manor site providing enough energy to power 1,000 homes
- non-potable water used for irrigation
Olympic Village
- will achieve the Government’s new ‘Code for Sustainable Homes Level Four’ which is a national environmental standard, resulting in a 44 per cent reduction in carbon emissions and 30 per cent reduction in water use, as well delivering a range of other environmental benefits.
- first time that a large scale development will meet ‘Level Four’ in the UK
Media Centre
- 2,500sq m of ‘living roof’ – biodiversity space for wildlife
- Bird and bat boxes
- Use of recycled water to flush the toilets and for other non potable uses
London 2012: Olympic Delivery Authority sustainability highlights
Sustainable venues
Olympic Park venues are being designed and built to be as energy efficient and sustainable as possible. For example the Velodrome is almost 100 per cent naturally ventilated and uses natural light to reduce energy consumption and rain water will be collected from the roof for flushing toilets and irrigation.
Green transport
To reduce the number of lorries on the roads and the resulting carbon emissions, the ODA is using rail and water routes to get materials delivered to site and waste taken away. Currently over 50 per cent of materials by weight are delivered by train including aggregate, kerbs and drainage units, and waste is being taken away by barges through the recently dredged waterways and a new lock and water control structure.
Green energy
The new Energy Centre and network being built on the site will provide efficient and low-carbon power by using new technology including biomass boilers and a Combined Cooling Heat & Power (CCHP) plant to capture the heat generated as a by-product of electricity production. A new 120m high wind turbine will also help contribute towards a 20 per cent renewable energy target.
Reuse
No materials leave the site if they can be reused or recycled in another way, reducing waste and the amount sent to landfill. During demolition, 97 per cent of the material was reclaimed to be reused in the creation of the Olympic Park. For example, the re-design of a key walking and cycling route, the Greenway, has used materials including bricks, paving stones, cobbles, man-hole covers, timber sleepers and tiles that were salvaged from the demolition stage.
Recycle
In one of the biggest clean-up operations of its kind, the ODA is cleaning and reusing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of soil which would otherwise have to be transported off site. A ‘soil hospital’ has been set up on the Olympic Park with machines that shake and clean the soil free from contaminants such as tar, oil and petrol, and produces clean material which can be used in the creation of the correct land levels, foundations and parklands.
Conserving water
The Olympic Park sports venues will use at least 40 per cent less water than equivalent buildings through initiatives such as low flush toilets, waterless urinals and rain water harvesting from roofs. The Aquatics Centre’s systems will be built to recycle the water that has been used to clean the swimming pool filters to then flush the toilets, whilst other venues are installing rain water harvesting facilities.
Protecting wildlife
Existing wildlife and habitats on the site are being protected during the construction phase, including translocating thousand of newts and hundreds of frogs. The Park and its venues have been designed to create 45 hectares of wildlife habitats and will include reedbeds, grasslands, ponds, woodlands, 525 bird boxes, 150 bat boxes and artificial otter holts.
Sustainable sourcing
The ODA is committed to using materials which are sustainably sourced and minimise any impact on the environment. A panel of timber suppliers has been set up for contractors across the Olympic Park that guarantees to supply only legal and sustainably sourced timber.
Brownfield to Greenfield
The Olympic Park site is being transformed from an area scarred by industrial use and years of neglect to a new urban park with improved infrastructure and world-class sporting facilities. Over 4,000 trees, 74,000 plants, 60,000 bulbs and 240,000 wetlands plants will be planted to create a new open green space for London, the largest planting project ever undertaken in the UK.
Low carbon
To reduce the embodied carbon of venues on the Olympic Park, the on-site concrete batching plant supplies low-carbon concrete to all contractors working on the project. This is achieved by substituting raw materials needed to make the concrete mix with secondary or recycled materials such as by-products from coal power stations and steel manufacture, and recycled glass.
London 2012s green build on track
ODA continues to set new sustainability standards as Olympic Park wins major industry award
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced it is on track or exceeding the wide-ranging set of sustainability targets for the London 2012 construction project.
The project’s sustainability standards have also been recognised by the industry with the ‘Legacy for Sustainability’ award at the Constructing Excellence National Awards.
The targets, set out in the ODA’s Sustainable Development Strategy in 2007, cover a variety of areas ranging from using low-carbon materials and recycling construction waste to incorporating rain-water harvesting and bird and bat boxes into the design and build of venues.
Among other achievements, the ODA is currently delivering 60 per cent of materials by weight by rail or water transport, beating a target of 50 per cent and dramatically reducing vehicle movements and the resulting carbon emissions. The ODA has also reported that 90% of construction waste is being diverted from landfill and is being reused or recycled instead, and the first of 4,000 semi-mature trees have been planted on site.
ODA Chairman John Armitt said: ‘Sustainability is at the heart of our plans and what we have tasked our contractors to achieve is unprecedented for a project of this size and scale.
‘Our targets include reusing and recycling 90 per cent of waste, delivering over half the materials needed by sustainable transport, using natural remediation methods to clean soil, barges to take away segregated waste through newly-dredged waterways and only legal and sustainable timber sourced through a supplier panel.
‘We wanted to lift the bar for the industry and set new sustainability standards and our contractors and suppliers have more than risen to the challenge. We hope that this project becomes a beacon for the planning, design and delivery of future large-scale projects.’
Minister for the Olympics Tessa Jowell said: ‘The London 2012 Games is an iconic project taking place at a time when the world is faced with the global challenges from climate change. That’s why they must be more than just six weeks of sport, they must also provide a blue print for sustainable working and living. Whether it’s using rail and water routes to get materials on to the Olympic Park, building an Energy Centre to provide low-carbon power or designing park venues to be as energy efficient as possible, sustainability has been embedded in the planning, staging and legacy of London 2012 from the outset.
‘The Games offer a unique opportunity to inspire large numbers of people to be more sustainable in their everyday lives. The standards achieved in the building of the Park also have the potential to be a major influence on the construction sector in the UK. This would be a major legacy not just for Britain, but the whole world.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘I want London to be the cleanest and greenest city in the world by 2012. The construction of the Olympic Park offers an unparallelled opportunity to secure a radical improvement to east London’s environment, whilst providing a sterling example of what can be achieved across the capital in other developments, small and large. We will be working to untap the potential springing from the Games to ensure a lasing legacy for Londoners.’
Work powers ahead on mean, lean and green Olympic Park Energy Centre
Work is powering ahead on a state-of-the-art Energy Centre in the Olympic Park the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced.
Sustainable features ‘will set a model for future urban regeneration’
The Energy Centre will include a range of sustainability features to create a ‘mean, lean and green’ building helping to reduce the carbon emissions of the Olympic Park and setting a benchmark for future regeneration schemes.
The Energy Centre is being constructed in the west of the Olympic Park and will provide an efficient heating and cooling system across Olympic Park site for the Games and for the new buildings and communities that will develop after 2012. The Energy Centre will include biomass boilers using sustainable biomass fuels to generate heat, and a Combined Cooling Heat and Power (CCHP) plant to capture the heat generated by electricity production. The project is one of the largest energy centre schemes to be built so far in the UK, and is being designed and built to be:
Mean
- Building designed to utilise recycled materials and a derelict Victorian building retained and reused to house key parts of energy centre equipment
- Flexible modular building design – avoids overcapacity in first phase of development but allows future technologies to be incorporated as they are developed and as demand grows after 2012.
Lean
- Deliver energy via low carbon technologies – a Combined Cooling Heat & Power (CCHP) plant will capture the heat generated by electricity production
- Community energy networks designed to operate at low temperatures
- Heating and cooling networks designed to minimise losses
- More efficient conversion of fuel compared to conventional gas and coal-fired energy plants.
Green
- Biomass boilers will use sustainable biomass fuels to generate heat, contributing to 20 per cent renewable energy target across Olympic Park
- Zero carbon renewable energy sources used such as biofuel
- CCHP plant will lead to carbon reduction of more than 1000 tonnes per year
- Recycled wastewater will be used for Energy Centre cooling towers.
ODA Director of Infrastructure and Utilities Simon Wright said: ‘Sustainability is at the heart of the 2012 project and the Energy Centre will ensure a lasting legacy of green power in the Olympic Park for generations to come. The state-of-the-art Energy Centre will be one of the largest in the UK and the lean, mean and green sustainability features that underpin this project will set a model for future urban regeneration schemes.’
Construction work started on the Energy Centre in August 2008 and progress over the last year includes:
- More than 200 piles installed more than 20m in length to form the foundations of the building
- Over 500 tonnes of steel installed to create the frame of the Energy Centre which will be 45m tall at its highest point
- 3,500 square metres of concrete ‘planks’ lifted into place to form the floors and roof of the Energy Centre
- 5 cooling towers lifted into place as the first of the major plant to be installed at the energy centre. These towers are each the size of a small house
- 3 hotwater boilers installed each around 60 tonnes in total
- Work now underway to install the steel cladding around the outer shell of the Energy Centre
- Work well underway on roof replacement works and structural improvements to the retained Victorian building.
The Energy Centre is due for completion in spring 2010 when it will begin providing heated water to the Olympic Park venues. The Energy Centre will then be connected to further venues and buildings when they are completed, delivering an early legacy of essential services throughout the Olympic Park.
The Olympic Park Energy Centre is being constructed by GDF Suez Energy Services, through its subsidiary Cofely East London Energy, together with approximately 16km of Community Energy Networks. The construction of the Energy Centre is being financed by GDF Suez Energy Services who will recover their investment through the long term operation rights of the new infrastructure
Project of the Year award for groundbreaking Olympic Park powerlines project
The Olympic Park powerlines project has been awarded the Project of the Year award by the Association for Project Management.
The Association for Project Management called it a ‘groundbreaking project’ and presented the award in recognition of the highly complex and challenging powerlines work being delivered to an unprecedented timetable and within budget.
The £250m powerlines project saw the construction of two 6-kilometre tunnels built beneath the Olympic Park and Lower Lea Valley region, enabling the power needed for the London 2012 Games and legacy developments to be carried underground. The construction of the underground tunnels enabled 52 overhead electricity pylons to be removed from the Olympic Park skyline, unlocking the landscape for the construction of venues and infrastructure.
The powerlines project began in 2005 ahead of London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Games, and was completed in December 2008 when the last overhead pylon in the Olympic Park was removed. The powerlines work saw one of the most complex tunnelling projects in Europe, being delivered in half the time of the industry norm, on budget and with an impressive health and safety record.
Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) Chairman John Armitt said: ‘The powerlines project delivered the first real legacy from the Games by unlocking the Olympic Park landscape for long-term regeneration, allowing the skyline of east London to be permanently transformed.
‘This was a complex and hugely challenging project delivered on budget and to an unprecedented timetable. This award is recognition of the considerable achievement of the powerlines team, our contractors and other partners.
‘The careful planning, collaborative working and innovation used in this project has set a benchmark for world-class delivery, not only for the wider Olympic Park construction projects, but for the whole industry to follow.’
The powerlines project has involved several separate phases:
Feasibility and design phase
* Early procurement and refurbishment of the only worldwide available tunnel boring machines (TBM) to meet the required tunnel diameters and ground conditions.
* Early procurement of power system materials and cables to meet the project programme.
Tunnelling phase
* Two 6km tunnels built beneath the Olympic Park enabling the power needed for the Games and legacy developments to be carried underground
* Four huge 40 tonne tunnelling machines used
* Tunnelling work completed in 424 days
* Olympic Park tunnelling accounted for 85 per cent of the UK’s tunnelling for that year
* 200,000 cubic metres of spoil created during tunnelling – enough to fill Wembley Stadium – majority of which is being reused on the Olympic Park
* Complex nature of tunnelling process meant a series of obstacles were encountered during the project, including issues with soil contamination and encountering small ground movements and water ingress beneath the surface of the Olympic Park
* Tunnelling phase was delivered on time, on budget and with an impressive health & safety record which was better than the industry average
Cabling and commissioning phase
* Work began in June 2007 to install 200km of cabling in the tunnels – enough to stretch from London to Nottingham.
* More than 9,000 brackets also installed to carry cabling along the tunnel walls together with monitoring and ventilation equipment.
* Cabling phase of project completed on schedule in May 2008, allowing testing and commissioning of the new underground equipment to begin and be completed without affecting power supplies to existing customers.
* Power then switched underground in summer 2008 allowing work to remove the overhead pylons and powerlines to begin.
Pylon removal phase
* 52 overhead pylons removed – 1,300 tonnes of steel, all recycled
* 130km of overhead wires removed
* All pylons within the Olympic Park boundary removed by December 2008 unlocking the landscape
* Pylons through the Lower Lea Valley towards Hackney and West Ham removed by mid 2009.