architects and masterplanners, rather than by
processes or very rigid end-user requirements.
“for London 2012, the infrastructure
planning is also driven by legacy,” he
emphasises. “Virtually everything we do
must either have a use after the event itself
is over or be built in a temporary way. We
have to think about costs, adaptability and
design for re-use.”
it’s a question of creating places that
are aesthetically pleasing, while using the
landscape as a tool for achieving social and
environmental goals. it’s a vision that puts
sustainability and legacy centre-stage.
“We have set the sustainability bar
very high for London 2012, with a series
of targets that we want to achieve,” says
armitt. “for example, we set ourselves a
target to recycle 90 per cent of the site
materials following some early demolition
at the Olympic Park. We achieved 95 per
cent. it’s a question of raising the bar on
what becomes the norm for environmental

and sustainable design.
“at the same time, part of our remit is to
make sure that everything built and provided
as part of the Olympic Park continues to be
maintained to a high standard. We want
people to want to take advantage of the site
after London 2012,” he adds. “We’re trying
to create a new place in London that people
will want to go to.”
sufficient resources and budget need to
be in place in order to maintain the Olympic
Park after London 2012, armitt argues: “it
needs to be open and useable, even if it’s just
green space where people can go and hang
out on sunday morning. it requires a realistic
and sensible ongoing maintenance budget to
ensure that the place is kept in good order.
Otherwise, people won’t go there and the
area could very rapidly slip backwards.”
“at atkins,” notes Mcnicholas,
“we’re seeing far more examples where
the balance between the environment
and the public space is being achieved,
especially in northern europe. it’s about
creating a space that is complementary
to people’s lifestyles and to function.
infrastructure is part of a holistic
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24