48 | SUSTAINABILITY WORDS | Gordon Miller
Green is golden W
hen, in 2005, London won the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games,
commencing 27 July, a promise was made to the International Organising Committee that the Games would be the world’s fi rst truly sustainable Olympics and Paralympics, leaving a positive legacy far beyond the departure of the Olympic fl ame.
How to achieve such a lofty ambition? The Olympic Delivery Agency (ODA) began by forming a partnership with BioRegional and WWF to develop ‘Towards a One Planet Olympics’ – a sustainable Games, guided by the principle that the world should live within its means. The principles became the London 2012 Sustainability Plan. To achieve its sustainability goals (see box-out), the ODA set itself and its contractors a comprehensive range of targets that were embedded in systems, processes, tools and the culture of the project. It established a new energy infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions, optimised the opportunities for effi cient water use and created more than 100 hectares of open space. New transport connections and a brand new infrastructure of energy, water, telecommunications were planned (and have been built) for the Games, but with the long-term development of the Park and the area very much in mind. Indeed, 75p of every £1 the ODA has spent has been an investment in the long-term transformation of east London. The construction of the Olympic
Park was intended to and has raised the bar for the construction industry, setting new standards in sustainability,
health and safety, accessibility, and inclusivity. All new buildings have achieved a minimum of BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Excellent. More than two-thirds of all wood used in the Olympic Park’s construction is FSC certifi ed. Holly Knight, the ODA’s principal sustainability manager, said: “We started working with the FSC early in the design process to ensure we had the right systems in place to deliver homes and venues on the Olympic Park that are truly sustainable. On such a complicated site it took lots of dedicated people to ensure we received certifi cation for 100% legal and sustainable timber.”
The achievements, many of which are unsurpassed globally, include: • Carbon Management –First Olympic and Paralympic Games to measure its carbon footprint over the entire project term. • Waste – The fi rst Olympic Games to commit to a zero-waste to landfi ll target through the strategic Zero Waste Games Vision. The Olympic Park construction has achieved 99% rates of reusing and recycling of materials and demolition and construction. • Sourcing – The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has gained a “world fi rst” for securing FSC and PEFC project certifi cation on the Olympic Park site, with 100% of wood products supplied certifi ed as “legal and sustainable”. • Transport – The commitment to
delivering a public transport Games means nine-million spectators will experience sustainable events like never before.
Building for the future
In practical terms, following extensive consultation with stakeholders, the priority sustainability issues to be delivered were identified as: • Carbon management to deliver a low-carbon Games • Delivering a zero-waste Games • Providing sustainable and accessible transport solutions • Using the Games to showcase the economic benefits of sustainability • Promoting sustainable living by making sustainability a visible part of the Games • Ensuring the Olympic Park legacy contributes to the regeneration of com- munities in east London
BUSINESS
The forthcoming summer Olympics in London is set to be the greenest ever, with a legacy that will create thousands of new homes in an area brimming with investment opportunities.
• Food Vision – This is the fi rst Olympic and Paralympic Games to specify stringent sustainability requirements for its catering operations. • Standards – In 2011 LOCOG became the fi rst Games Organising Committee to be independently certifi ed to the British Standard 8901: Specifi cation for a Sustainability Management System for Events. The Games’ legacy is such that the Olympic and Paralympic Village will be converted into thousands of new homes
“The Olympic project has spurred investment in east London that amounts to £1.6bn”
for sale and rent, half of which will be affordable housing. Along with a new educational campus, a community health centre and new developments elsewhere within the Park, the Village – to be known as East Village – will form a whole new community.
Mat Lown, sustainability partner
at Tuffi n Ferraby Taylor, said: “The holistic approach undertaken is notable because it tackles the economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability. The Olympic project includes the creation of infrastructure and the regeneration has spurred investment in east London that amounts to around £1.6bn according to CBRE. “Infrastructure wise, the energy centres are impressive and are of suffi cient capacity to deliver low- carbon power, heating and cooling for not only the Olympic site but also neighbouring developments. All in all, the level of investment into the local area is staggering and will leave a positive social legacy long after the Games have closed.”
It remains to be seen whether all the Games will leave a sustainable legacy. The desire not to leave behind ‘white elephant’ stadia was a focus at the last Western Olympics – in Athens (2004) – and the one prior to it - in Sydney (2000). Sadly, the worst fears were realised. Let’s hope, in London, the highly developed sustainability strategy ensures the Games’ impact last longer than the summer of 2012.
Gordon Miller is the co-founder and Sustainability & Communica- tions Director of business alliance Sustain Worldwide (
www.sustain-
worldwide.com). He is a licensed BREEAM International Assessor and consults on sustainability and envi- ronmental management systems. Gordon contributes to national newspapers including the Financial Times and The Guardian.
Value jump
The global market value of energy effi cient homes (which it defi nes as properties that are built to exceed the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code by 15% on a kilowatt-hour per square foot basis) will increase from the current $14bn to $82bn by 2020, according to a new study. The report, by US-based Pike
Research, focuses on key market segments such as building envelope improvements, lighting, HVAC and major appliances, water heating, energy audits, and soft costs associated with energy effi ciency. Market forecasts are provided
through to 2020 for both new and existing building stock across fi ve world regions. Details of local, regional, and supranational market drivers and barriers are discussed in depth, and a cross-section of key industry players are profi led, highlighting their product and service off erings. While each national, regional,
or local market for energy effi cient homes consists of many of the same actors, typically they all cater to the specifi c needs of each market, be it climate, design preference, materials available, or local codes. As a result, there is much diversity in the energy effi cient homes markets globally. However, all are experiencing signifi cant growth.
http://www.pikeresearch.com/ research/energy-effi cient-homes
www.opp.org.uk | JUNE 2012
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