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an amazing response to a restricted but controlled brief, and it’s not a riot of different colours and materials.” With 63 blocks, there was a compelling argument for


restraint. The external finishes are many and varied: from a faithful reproduction of the Elgin marbles via black architectural bricks; terracotta and vitreous enamelled panels, to the replica- tion – in concrete – of Portland stone, complete with the seashell shapes. The variety is motivated by both the visual impact, and the need to source from different suppliers. Kendall says: “Everyone was trying to hit the sweet spot in the


middle between too much repetition, and too much chaos”. They achieved this by setting up a design board. They organised a series of review meetings, allowing the architects of neighbour- ing buildings to respond to the context by comparing virtual views side by side. Throughout our meeting about building the Athletes’ Village, I had been expecting to hear two words. It is testament to the


project planning that it is only the recollection of arranging those meetings that makes Hartmann finally utter the words I was expecting to hear: ‘logistical nightmare’. The enormous project clearly faced huge hurdles – not least


finding funding amid global economic turbulence. At the most uncertain time, Kendall tells me, there was a point where every- one was working with a shadow client, trying to anticipate an incoming client to protect their opportunities. And in 2005 despite their clear focus on retail, there was a time when Westfield owned the whole project, although the ODA has been the landowner throughout. Finally a client emerged from the shadows and the vehicle


companies were sold in August 2011 to Delancey and Qatari Diar. The £557 million deal for the purchase, future develop- ment and long-term management of the Athletes’ Village included six undeveloped plots with outline planning consent. The potential is for this development to transform the area.


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