Delivering London 2012: master planning

Abstract

This paper describes the complex process of designing and planning development of the olympic Park for the London 2012 olympic and Paralympic Games and for its immediate conversion after the games. It provides examples of the tests applied to the design process to ensure buildings and infrastructure were designed to meet long-term regeneration ambitions as well as the unique technical requirements for the games. It also describes the way temporary buildings, infrastructure and seating were used to resolve the tension between the short-term needs for the games and the long-term viability of venues and parklands.

Climate adaptation, urban regeneration and brownfield reclamation: a literature review on landscape quality in large-scale transformation projects

“…Designs for Olympic Park reportedly had an important function in the initial visioning process for the Olympics (Evans, 2014) as a quality control framework for the inevitable changes during the transformation process (Nimmo et al, 2011) and in projecting value and need with regard to the urban legacy (Davis, 2011). Despite the strong design-led approach (Neal, 2011), the actual catalyst effect of the urban regeneration was highly dependent on the political and economic context (Davis, 2011).…”

Whole Issue - Civil Engineering, Volume 168, Issue 2 (Low Res. - 6MB)

“…The venue master plan developed by the London 2012 bid team determined which venues would be delivered as permanent and which would be temporary (Nimmo et al, 2011a). Taking on recommendations made in a 2003 International Olympic Committee (IOC) report (Pound, 2003), temporary venues were reviewed in terms of whether they could be demounted and relocated for legacy use, or whether they would be hired just for the period of the games.…”

Delivering London 2012: parklands and waterways

“…The landscape is an integrated part of the infrastructure of the park and was driven by a design vision embedded in the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) master plans for the site (Figure 1) (Nimmo et al, 2011). The political vision was to deliver the most sustainable games ever.…”