London 2012 oLympic and paraLympic Games

UK & europe: Woodcote Grove, Ashley Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5BW, UK, T: +44 (0)1372 726140asia pacific: 46th Floor, Raffles City, 268 Xi Zang Zhong Lu, Shanghai 200001, People’s Republic of China, T: +86 21 6122 5100

middle east and india: PO Box 5620, Dubai, UAE, T: +971 4405 9300americas: 2925 Briarpark Drive, Suite 550, Houston, TX 77042, USA, T: +1 832 476 3300 p

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“The London 2012 olympic and paralympic Games represent a chance for Atkins to take part in something bigger than itself, and to take its

place on the world stage, alongside all those involved”

oUrenGineerinGdesiGnjoUrney

www.atkinsglobal.com

In January 2009, the London

Organising Committee of the

Olympic and Paralympic Games

(LOCOG) announced that Atkins

had been appointed the official

engineering design services provider

for the London 2012 Games.

While it is under development,

London 2012 is the world’s biggest

infrastructure project. It will

culminate in the biggest event in the

world. It requires groundbreaking

work and innovative thinking at

every stage. This is a very big win

for Atkins, but this isn’t just a story

about a supplier winning a contract.

And, while it is a reflection of the

organisation’s engineering design

expertise, it isn’t just about prestige.

This is a tremendous responsibility,

one that we take very seriously.

After all, the Games represent

a simple but powerful idea: that

the world can come together to

celebrate the extraordinary in us

all – even if it is only for a few

weeks every four years. It is about

pageantry and glory for the world’s

greatest athletes, and a showcase

for the UK. It is a chance for Atkins

to take part in something bigger

than itself and to take its place on

the world stage alongside all those

involved in the creation of London

2012. It is also a chance to leave

behind a truly sustainable legacy

for London, one that stretches far

beyond the Games. It’s an idea we

believe in so much that we decided

to become a sponsor of the event

as well as a supplier.

The eyes of the world will be

on the London 2012 Games, both

as a celebration of sport and as a

statement about the city itself.

London has accepted the challenge

and is responding with flair.

Engineering is providing answers

to many of the challenges involved.

For example, how can a city that is

as developed as London be

transformed into a suitable setting

for this event in time? How will it

be able to cope with issues such as

transport, to welcome the millions

who will want to take part, when

the city’s infrastructure is already

being pushed to its limits? What’s

being done to ensure the work

takes issues such as sustainability,

community and ecology into

account? What will be the real

legacy of London 2012?

Atkins is providing the

engineering design answers to

these questions. This expertise

is part of the reason Atkins was

selected to take part in this

extraordinary event, and we are

proud to be working with LOCOG

and the Olympic Delivery Authority

to deliver these solutions.

Being entrusted with such

a major project demands that we

do our absolute best. We certainly

have the experience and expertise

required, whether working on

Olympic Park infrastructure or

designing dozens of temporary

facilities for events being staged

across the UK. It is just the type of

project our people thrive on and,

as it continues, we will demonstrate

that we are worthy of that trust.

Team spirit

welcomeKEITH CLArKECHIEF ExECUTIvEATKIns

�

“THE EyEs OF THE WOrLD WILL BE On London 2012,

BOTH As a ceLebraTIon of sporT and as a sTaTemenT

abouT The cITy ITseLf”

Team spirit

The righT foundaTionsInfrastructure not only serves the basic needs of a city, it informs its character, from Manhattan’s grid-based roads to the Victorian-era sewers running beneath London’s streets. But how can infrastructure define the personality of an event like London 2012?�

scope and scaleinfrastructure

The righT foundaTions

Infrastructure brings cities to life.

utilities such as drainage, power and water

supplies are part of the equation. But so too

are roads, railways, public spaces, landscaping

and even the pavement. When they work

together, these components create something

that is far more than the sum of their parts.

they create a sense of place.

atkins is playing a major role in the

preparations for the London 2012 Olympic

and Paralympic Games. Working with the

Olympic Delivery authority (ODa), its

Delivery Partner and other contractors,

a brand new landscape is being created

out of an industrial wasteland for London’s

Olympic Park. atkins will also provide

hundreds of temporary sporting venues

up and down the country.

“We’re the project managers for the

preparation of the whole site,” says Mike

Mcnicholas, atkins project director for

London 2012. “this involves working with

the contractors to clean up contaminated

land and move the old landform into its new

shape. We are also infrastructure designers

for the northern zones. Our job is to create

the platform on which the Games are being

built. this includes detailed landscape

creation, as well as designing roads and

bridges for the north of the park.”

“almost every conceivable type of

infrastructure creation is going on at the

Olympic Park,” says John armitt, chairman

of the ODa. this public body is responsible

for the new venues and infrastructure being

created for the Games, and their use after

2012. “We’re virtually building a small town,

from a power station to a medical centre, to

apartments, tunnels, locks and sports stadia.

“in order to create the Olympic Park in this

particular part of London, we are investing

massively in infrastructure,” says armitt. “the

stadia are not the most expensive part of the

bill; we’re spending more on infrastructure.

this represents an automatic infrastructure

legacy for this part of London, in the form of

improved communications, rail systems, power

systems, roads and bridges. the infrastructure

of the four boroughs touched by London

2012 is being massively improved. in effect,

75p out of every £1 that we’re spending is still

going to be in use 100 years from now.”

Beyond infrastructureMajor infrastructure projects such as these

emphasise the way that engineering is

changing. concrete, steel and calculations

are still very much part of the picture. But so

is a deeper understanding of the social and

aesthetic dimension. Bringing today’s larger-

than-life projects to fruition means looking

beyond the drawing board.

“We call this ‘development infrastructure’,”

says Mcnicholas. “We came up with that term

to describe an integrated approach to the

provision of the things that go between the

buildings on large-scale projects. in its broader

sense, development infrastructure can be

physical and social.

“the big challenge is to take quite

utilitarian design standards and to make them

appropriate to a more local look and feel, to

become part of an aesthetic solution,” he says.

“Development infrastructure is a fundamental

part of the life of a place. it becomes the heart

of the social interaction that people have in

the public space. it combines engineering

with architecture in equal measure.”

the elements of urban design include

roads, bridges, landscaping and surface

treatments. the detailed configuration of

each component and its relative position in

the bigger picture determine how a place will

look and feel, and how it will be used. Putting

it all together is both a science and an art.

“it’s really about emotional intelligence,”

says Mcnicholas. “You have to understand

the bigger picture for a masterplan. the

engineer needs to have empathy for the

social aspect – the aesthetic backed by

engineering is really important. it puts us

in a different space. it means being led by

5

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

�

package that looks at the bigger picture,

supporting cycling and walking, for example.

it can be a way of achieving both social and

physical wellbeing.”

“the question is: how do you create

somewhere new and exciting, somewhere

people want to visit but that still belongs to

the people living in the local boroughs?”

adds armitt. “We want to produce

something that adds to the community.”

creating new landscapes for new lives has

big implications for the people – engineers,

planners and architects – whose job it is to

breathe life into those projects.

“they have to be technically compliant,

but they also need more rounded skills,”

he says. “they need to empathise with

the other disciplines working on the project

and be willing to go the extra mile to

achieve real design quality. for example, very

little of a civil engineer’s work can be seen by

the public. But where it does show, it needs

to be part of the public realm, part of the

physical architecture of the Olympic Park,

for example, or the streetscape.”

no development site is a blank canvas,

of course. Brownfield city sites in particular

bear a heavy and sometimes hazardous

imprint of what has gone before. When

shaping a new landscape, experts need to

gain a full understanding of the complete

site. Detective work is part of the job and

remedial action is often required.

“first, we assess what the land has

been used for before,” explains Mcnicholas.

“You have to understand what a society

and its industry was like to know what

might be in the ground. You need to

know what regulation was in place. for

example, there’s a landfill on the Olympic

Park site. We looked at what industries

were in the area over the centuries, to get

a sense of its history. We found that, in the

past, people would use radioactive isotopes

in filaments of lamps. there’s a risk that

there could be something nasty in the

waste and we need to be prepared to

deal with that. all of this contributes to

the ultimate success or failure of such a

major infrastructure project.”

Temporary thinkingPreparations for London 2012 represent one

of the largest single mobilisations of people

and resources in Britain in the past �0 years.

More than nine million visitors are expected to

buy tickets for the Games, in which 10,500

Olympic and �,200 Paralympic athletes will

take part. as well as its role in preparing the

London site for the 2012 Olympic and

Paralympic Games, atkins has also won the

contract to provide all the engineering design

services for the temporary facilities that are

needed to stage the Games.

these facilities – of which there are

around 100 – are scattered across the

country. they include venues at the Olympic

Park, up to 15 competition venues along the

river thames and around London, with

further venues in Glasgow, cardiff,

Manchester, newcastle, Birmingham and

Weymouth. some 50 non-competition and

training venues are also included in the deal.

creating high-profile temporary

infrastructure is familiar territory for atkins.

the company’s portfolio includes civil projects

as well as military contracts, such as one with

the British army that includes camps in

Kosovo and afghanistan. temporary

infrastructure projects such as these, believes

Mcnicholas, could lead to new ways of

thinking about the built environment.

“it challenges us to do things in a slightly

different way. if there’s a shortage of capital in

the marketplace post-recession, we’re going to

have to look at new ways of doing things. that

means adapting more buildings and looking at

reduced design life: if the client wants to run a

business for ten years, why do you need a

building that’s going to last 50?”

Worldwide, the market for development

infrastructure remains significant for atkins,

stresses Mcnicholas: “these massive projects

require a broad range of skills brought

together very early in the programme. they

are complicated and involve environmental

skills, sustainability and carbon critical design.

they involve waterborne transport, rail

transport, utilities, power, water, gas and

a comprehensive understanding of cost

modelling. every part of atkins is involved.”

7

“How do you create sOMeWhere neW anD excitinG, sOMeWhere PeOPLe Want tO Visit But that stiLL BeLOnGs tO the PeOPLe LiVinG in the LOcaL BOrOuGhs? we want to produce sometHIng tHat adds to tHe communIty”– JOhn arMitt, chairMan, ODa

London 2012 is set to be the biggest sporting

and cultural event the UK has ever seen. The modern

Olympic Games have changed beyond recognition

since the last time London played host. In 1948, just

over 4,000 competitors arrived to challenge for

medals in 136 events. In 2012, 14,700 athletes will

arrive, along with 55,000 members of the Olympic

family of judges, technical officials and sponsors,

and 20,000 accredited members of the media.

While the focus will be on the track, pool and

velodrome, somehow all of those people will need to

be able to move from one location to another with

relative ease. And while all that’s happening, the world’s

greatest city needs to carry on working and celebrating.

Simple, surely?Hugh Sumner is the man charged with

co-ordinating transport for the Olympic Delivery

Authority (ODA): “Basically, we do all the transport

upgrades directly and indirectly required for London

2012,” he says. “We will be responsible for timetables

as well as organising the buses, roads, river, cycle,

mainline rail, light rail – everything – for about

20 million people.”

The ODA, in collaboration with the existing

transport authorities, has taken a three-pronged

approach to this seemingly insurmountable problem.

“First, we will need to get the best we can out of

the existing system,” says Sumner. “Second, where

extra capacity is needed and there is a legacy case,

then we will co-fund or build it. Third, where there

isn’t a legacy case for those ‘peak of the peak’ times,

we will put in a temporary solution rather than

wasting resources, time and energy putting in

something that won’t have future use.”

Of course, the perennial complaint about the

amount spent on any Games is the question of

legacy. However, Mark Cowlard, rail solutions

director for Atkins’ southern region, disagrees:

“This work is all about enhancing capacity for the

long term: getting more people from one place to

another as quickly as possible. There is no question

that the network needs those enhancements,

London 2012 notwithstanding.”

Atkins’ main involvement with delivering transport

projects for the Games is largely centred on rail.

“In London, we’re looking at an 80 per cent

mode share by rail, roughly, with 20 per cent

pedestrian, cycling and road (park-and-ride and

coach),” says Sumner.

Specific projects include the management

of improvement works in Stratford, right at the

heart of the Olympic Park. For the purposes of

the improvements, Atkins is acting on behalf

of Network Rail to ensure that any engineering

work does not affect the operational running

of the railway.

“We receive requests from contractors and

stakeholders in the area and manage the delivery

of the work,” says Cowlard. “They might want

to put a bridge over the railway for pedestrians,

for example. We’ll work with them and Network

Rail to understand the requirements and then give

approval for those things to be done in a safe

and efficient way.”

Away from Stratford, the North London Line

improvement is currently the biggest project. With

ODA funding, Atkins has been working on improving

track, signalling and platforms across a network that

crucially links east and west, one of the few routes in

the transport network not based on the centre-out

radial system.

The North London line also links into the Docklands

Light Railway, London’s youngest rail system. The DLR

forms an important link into the Olympic Park from

the City and the south east. As such, it requires

significantly increased capacity and scope. The core

extension will run from Stratford International to

Canning Town and be connected to the Beckton and

Woolwich Arsenal Docklands Light Railway routes.

As well as this, Atkins is also managing the DLR’s

“three-car capacity upgrade” programme, which is

delivering the infrastructure enhancements required

to move from two- to three-car operation.

fast forwardTRANSPORT

8

All the right movesLondon’s transport network IS UNDeRGOING A SIGNIFICANT UPGRADe IN TIMe FOR the London 2012 oLympic Games and paraLympic Games. CAReFUL PLANNING IS NeeDeD TO MAKe SURe DeMAND IS MeT ON TIMe, WITHOUT SADDLING THe CITy WITH UNNeCeSSARy INFRASTRUCTURe AND exPeNSe.

9

All the right moves

3.5%*

ACROSS TeN URBAN AReAS IN THe UK, averaGe vehicLe journey time per miLe WAS 3 MINUTeS 35 SeCONDS PeR MILe IN THe qUARTeR eNDING FeBRUARy 2009[SOURCe: UK DePARTMeNT FOR TRANSPORT]

the overaLL percentaGe decrease IN UK TRAFFIC LeveLS BeTWeeN THe FIRST qUARTeRS OF 2008 AND 2009 [SOURCe: UK DePARTMeNT FOR TRANSPORT]

*Provisional figures, q1 2009

“IN LONDON, We’Re LOOKING AT AN 80 per cent mode share By RAIL, ROUGHLy, WITH 20 PeR CeNT PeDeSTRIAN, CyCLING AND ROAD (PARK-AND-RIDe AND COACH)” – HUGH SUMNeR, TRANSPORT, ODA

Avoiding a world-class headacheOf course, London’s status as a leading world

city is both a blessing and a curse. The transport

infrastructure is there, for better or worse.

engineers already have a big train set to play

with in order to meet demand. To put the

transport demands of the Games in context,

planners had to understand the interaction

between managing a major event and what

happens on a typical working day in London.

There are 12 million public transport trips a day

and London 2012 will have over nine million

tickets available for events. On its busiest day,

there are 800,000 tickets available.

But those numbers will be made up of

visitors who don’t know their way around,

congregating in certain concentrated areas

and not dispersed across the network.

“The big challenge for us is overlaying the

actual demand on those networks because the

patterns of time and volume will differ during

London 2012,” says Sumner. “For example, on

an ordinary day, you wouldn’t expect the thick

end of 400,000 people to descend upon

Stratford. even on a good day, it might be busy,

but not that busy. Luckily, London has resilience

in comparison with places such as Athens and

Sydney, where you had a huge increase in

demand compared with what was normal.

We are fortunate in that respect.”

Despite the strength of the existing network,

the inevitable strain highlights the need for

planners and engineers to squeeze every last bit

of capacity out of the network as well as coming

up with innovative temporary solutions for the

duration of the Games, swiftly followed by the

Paralympic Games.

After all, even for the Games, no-one has

carte blanche to bring London’s rail network

to a halt while enhancing the infrastructure to

prepare for them. It’s an issue that keeps the

best minds awake at night.

“That is the biggest consideration really,”

admits Cowlard. It is also the factor that

generates one of the greatest costs. Fortunately,

Atkins is able to bring its experience of managing

major infrastructure projects to bear on what

could turn into a logistical nightmare.

“Because of the way the rail industry has to

work, the key is balancing efficiency with the

need to avoid disruption to the public,” says

Cowlard. “It is essential to try to maintain a

positive customer experience at all times and

that does come back to planning. It is inevitable

that the public will experience a degree of

disruption due to the works. The key thing is to

make sure they know it’s coming and to put in

place proper plans to mitigate it.”

According to Cowlard, the fact that east

London already has a well-developed transport

network allows for alternative routes to take

up the slack.

“you’ve got lots of different options both

radically and concentrically. By making sure

that whoever owns those elements isn’t doing

maintenance or enhancements at the same

time, it is possible to ensure that customers

will have different alternatives to get to work.”

An issue often ignored when projects

such as this are discussed is the human angle.

Infrastructure and rolling stock make up crucial

elements of the plan for London 2012, but

anticipating and understanding human

behaviour is just as important. Andy Southern,

managing director of transport planning and

management for Atkins, stresses the importance

of focusing on the customer experience.

“There’s a view that some residents will

vacate the city during London 2012 and that will

help reduce some of the transport demands,” he

says. “Of course, assumptions need to be made

when planning the route network and there are

lessons to be learned from past Games, but you

need to make sure those lessons are transferable.

For example, will the collective London psyche

and reaction be the same as that in Sydney? Will

they want to be around London to participate in

what will be a great occasion?

“The authorities have to take this uncertainty

into account when making decisions about things

such as capacity levels, where the pinch points in

the network will be and how to manage demand.”

Southern cites the mayor of London’s

ongoing commitment to doing more for

pedestrians and cyclists in London as a

welcome move, especially with the Olympic

and Paralympic Games on the horizon:

“This alleviates overcrowding but also makes

London more accessible and more easily

understood. These are key requirements for

London 2012 and they are expected of any

world-class city. London 2012 should also be

the most carbon-efficient from a transport

point of view – again, a key requirement for

London’s future.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games help to

speed up the resolve and delivery times on these

issues, with pedestrian and public transport

access being the way forward, not only for

central London but inner areas too,” he says.

In addition to the need to move people

around the various venues concentrated in the

east end of London, there is the issue of the

city’s wider cultural life. The bid for the Games

was won in part thanks to London’s cultural

heritage. Transport planners, therefore, cannot

simply look at developing and upgrading routes

to the stadia. They must design and upgrade

systems to allow as many visitors – and athletes

and officials – to experience the city as a whole.

After all, what’s the point of awarding the

Games to a city of theatre, royalty, music and

art if your guests can’t access any of it?

“We’re very clear that we don’t want this to

be a sterile experience for the athletes and

visitors. We want it to be a cultural and sporting

celebration,” adds the ODA’s Sumner. That

means the cultural events in the summer of 2012

will be very much larger than those in Beijing

because the two cities’ plans were different.

“Understanding those differences

and planning the deployment of resources

to achieve those different outcomes are

key to the success of the transportation plans

for the Games,” says Sumner. “We spent

time in Beijing to find out what happened

both before and during the Olympic and

Paralympic Games, and we learned from that.”

Southern notes that “just as important as

providing new transport infrastructure is how

we accommodate the needs of all those

involved in the Games. For example, we need

to ensure that journey times are reliable across

a dedicated network for the London 2012

family while keeping London moving. This

should feel like a festival in London rather

than just a sporting event.”

Making sure the public of London, the

UK and beyond are all accommodated into

a festival of sport will be worthy of gold.

11

When something of archaeological value is teased from the ground during a major build or development, the story that unfolds goes beyond the site itself. It becomes part of the cultural heritage of the area and it demands respect. But nothing would be found unless the right people were brought in to look for it.

Digging the past

essentialexpertisearchaeology

1110 ad

The first stone arch “bow” bridge in Britain gives the area its name

Late 9th century

King Alfred

reputedly digs the Channelsea river

to divert invading Vikings from the

Thames on their way to London

miLesTones: The oLympiC pArK siTe

13

n Iron age

cemetery containing

four skeletons, 4,000-

year-old flint axes, World War II gunning

posts and roman river walls. What do

they all have in common? They were all

unearthed as part of the enabling works

done in the lower lea Valley for the

olympic Park in advance of the london

2012 olympic and Paralympic games. The

archaeological investigation was conducted

by the Museum of london with Pca and

managed by atkins, along with a small

number of specialists. It spanned two years,

involved digging over 140 trenches and was

the largest of its kind in the UK.

archaeology may not loom large in the

imagination when standing in the middle

of a building site, but it is an essential part

of the environmental assessment process

in most large-scale developments. Used

effectively, archaeology can help to avoid

damage to potentially significant finds

and make sure that everyone – from the

developers to the local community –

views a project favourably from the

start and long after the work is done.

“The artefacts we’ve unearthed

at the olympic Park provide some

fascinating clues about what life

was like at different points in its history,” says

Simon Wright, director of infrastructure and

utilities at the olympic Delivery authority

(oDa). “having access to such a large urban

site and discovering such a diverse set of

finds has proved to be a fantastic learning

opportunity. It gives us a very rare perspective

on a large part of early prehistoric london.”

Taryn Nixon is director of the Museum of

london’s archaeology arm and has worked

with atkins on various projects, including

london 2012. She points out that the ability

to manage archaeology in development and

construction effectively depends heavily on

starting early.

“archaeology is a process of discovery,

but it is founded on fundamental risk

management procedures,” says Nixon.

“We identify the potential risks of the

project to our heritage, and what should be

done in order to manage and mitigate them.

By providing as much information as possible

to the developer early on, we can avoid costly

surprises further down the line.”

Janet Miller, director of atkins’ heritage

team, agrees. as part of its archaeological

expertise, the company helps clients meet their

local authority requirements while getting as

much out the process as possible.

“We communicate exactly what the

obligations are in terms of archaeology, what

options exist and the likely costs involved,”

says Miller. “While it’s essential that any work

is carried out to the highest quality, it’s also

important that it has as little impact as

possible on project schedules and costs.”

achieving these goals means taking

archaeology into account right from the

start of the planning process and getting

any on-site works out of the way before the

construction diggers move in. and london

2012, Nixon points out, is the ultimate

immoveable deadline. “completing the

archaeological work on schedule was

imperative, as was meeting high safety and

quality standards,” she says.

Detective workWhile the physical discovery and painstaking

extraction of artefacts from the soil might

lend archaeology a certain drama and tension,

excavation is the tip of the iceberg.

“That’s when the real work starts, using

what you have uncovered to piece together

what it was like in the past, how people

lived and the topography at a point in time,”

says Miller. For example, thanks to the work

of archaeology teams such as those at atkins

and the Museum of london, we now have a

better picture of what life was like at points

throughout the 12,000 years that the site

has been occupied.

“The location of an abbey at Stratford

indicates that the area was significant during

the medieval period,” says Nixon. “We know

that the post-medieval market gardens of

the lea Valley provided vast quantities of

food to the london area; and that more

recently it had considerable importance in

our industrial heritage.”

To arrive at such conclusions, the investi-

gative work draws on a host of resources

and disciplines. Much of the assessment

work occurs before the trowels come out.

50 ad

roman road “ermine Street” from london to colchester crosses the marshes

3000 bc

Wetlands, which early

Londoners navigated

by timber walkways

to fish and hunt

14

“By examining geological and survey maps,

and cross-referencing with what we already

know about the heritage of the surrounding

area, archaeologists can use their professional

judgement to make some educated guesses,”

says Miller. “We also look at the topographic

position of a site. Is it somewhere that people

might have wanted to live in the past, close

to a river, for example? even place names can

tell you a lot about what was there before.”

The results can be exceptional, even if the

site doesn’t hint at what might lie underneath.

For example, when upgrading work was

required on a stretch of the a127 in Southend

in 2003, early assessments identified the area

as a potential site of anglo-Saxon remains.

atkins ran a programme of fieldwork that

resulted in the most exciting anglo-Saxon find

since the discovery of Sutton hoo in Suffolk

70 years ago. a wood-lined tomb housed the

coffin of an east Saxon king, known as the

Prince of Prittlewell, along with a collection

of artefacts, from gold buckles to cauldrons,

all in their original positions.

The rare objects in Southend provided

archaeologists with fascinating insight into

the region’s social history but, once the

work is completed, the town will also boast

a unique and valuable visitor attraction.

The story that emerges can often help to

shape and enhance a development.

During site preparation works for a new

regional business park in Ty Mawr, Wales,

extensive excavations uncovered the unique

remains of a prehistoric village. atkins

provided the Welsh assembly government

with advice and management, culminating

in an interpretation scheme for the public.

The use of educational boards and information

dissemination such as this not only ensure that

this culture and heritage can be appreciated by

everyone, but can inject character that helps to

frame a development in a positive light.

“It can soften the message that the devel-

oper is trying to get across to the public and

demonstrate that they are putting something

back into the community,” says Miller. at the

olympic Park in the lea Valley, the potential

long-term benefits of the site’s historical signifi-

cance were at the heart of the original remit.

Beyond 2012The archaeological discoveries of the

london 2012 site have been an integral

1892 ad

UK’s first petrol factory

1135 ad

Cistercian Abbey exploits

Lea water power

Late 12th century

Knights Templar water mill (Temple Mills)

17th/18th century

UK’s first calico printer and

porcelain factory is established

part of the oDa’s engagement with

local community groups.

“The excitement of a story comes

into its own when information is being

teased out of the ground, but it doesn’t

stop there,” says Nixon. “a range of

interactive community projects and

museum initiatives are enabling people

in the area to get involved in a very

hands-on way in excavations and

research and educational activities on

the archived material.

“a lot of value can come out of

archaeology because it is intrinsically

educational, multidisciplinary and about

people,” she explains.

“It ties in with the whole ethos of

the london 2012 games,” adds Wright.

“It’s about knowledge and inspiration and

giving everyone the opportunity to learn

and celebrate london’s past. More than

1,000 residents of the five host boroughs have

already seen the artefacts from the olympic

Park and learned about the history of their

area through a programme of events.”

archaeology as an element of the

planning and preparation process could

easily be seen as a barrier by developers.

But projects such as london 2012 demon-

strate how archaeologists can manage the

work effectively and turn what might be

a negative into long-lasting positives.

15

a flint axe more than 4,000 years old was uncovered during the

extensive archaeological investigations conducted at the olympic Park.

Archaeological finds around the olympic park site include

a 19th century boat used for hunting fowl on the

lower river Lea.

1904 ad

William yardley cosmetics, soap and lavender factory

1858 ad

The northern outfall

sewer is constructed

1860 ad

Plastic is invented in the lea Valley

1876 ad

Dry cleaning is introduced

to the UK

The urbanjungle

When staging one of the largest events in the world, you could be forgiven for not immediately considering the fate of the local flora and fauna – but it does matter. How do you prepare for something as big as London 2012 without disrupting the local ecology?

“Despite appearances, urban sites

can support rich biodiversity. The Olympic

Park is a good example of this,” says Kim

Olliver, Atkins’ senior ecologist. She leads

a team of ecological consultants working

on the site of the future Olympic Park in

the Lower Lea Valley in east London. A mix

of industrial and often contaminated land,

this area has been subject to decades of

neglect. However, as Olliver points out, this

does not mean its ecological importance

should be underestimated.

“In pockets of wetland, woodland

and waterway habitat, a variety of

significant species has been found,” she

says. “This has included rare invertebrates,

Sand Martins and Kingfishers, bats and

fish. It also features native trees such as

the London Plane, which can be up to

70 years old. It’s essential that we

preserve them wherever possible.”

Understanding the importance and

value of even seemingly insignificant things

lies at the heart of efforts to preserve and

protect Britain’s ecology. Each species is

adapted to its surroundings and each

habitat is a web of species interaction.

Upset that equilibrium and species may

be lost, with effects that can cascade

through the ecosystem.

With sustainability a major focus of

the London 2012 Games, environmental

considerations have been fundamental to

the planning process. Before construction

work can start on any project, developers

must complete an environmental impact

assessment, of which ecology is an

“In POcKETS Of WETLAnd, WOOdLAnd And WATErWAy

HABITAT, A VArIETy Of SIGnIfIcAnT SPEcIES HAS BEEn fOUnd... It’s

essentIal that we preserve them wherever possIble”

forwardthinkingEcOLOGy

17

important element. Working alongside

organisations such as the Environment Agency

and natural England, Atkins has ensured that

the interests of the local wildlife come first,

while helping developers meet their legal

environmental requirements with minimum

disruption and cost.

“There may be planning constraints that

contractors are not aware of, so it’s important

that we guide them through that process,”

says Olliver. “We provide advice to the client

on what environmental assessments,

monitoring and mitigation are required and

how to implement the various measures as

effectively and efficiently as possible.”

“Legislation such as the natural

Environment and rural communities Act

and the Wildlife and countryside Act are

designed to prevent damage to the rare and

protected sites around England and Wales,”

says rosemary redmond, Environment

Agency project manager for London 2012.

redmond adds that the conversation

about ecology has to start right at the

beginning of the planning process:

“Environmental considerations can be

seen as a barrier, particularly when there

are tight deadlines to deliver a project.

We have been heavily involved in the

sustainability and biodiversity objectives

on London 2012 since the bid stage

in 2004. We have been a key stakeholder

for strategic and detailed planning documents

including publications such as the Biodiversity

Action Plan, the water space masterplan, and

the parklands and public realm planning

application. With early discussion and a proper

understanding of the likely effects on a site’s

ecology, any potential barriers can be

successfully managed.”

Planning ahead can produce the best

outcome for the species in question and

minimise surprises later on, when delays to the

schedule can have serious cost implications.

“Before you do anything, you have

to know what you’re planning for,”

agrees Olliver, who has been involved

at the Olympic Park site from the outset.

“you can put your own timelines in place,

but any species living on the site will have

their own schedules, whether it be nest-

building, seasonal hibernation or roosting.”

As a rule, she adds, the interests of any

wildlife come first, so project schedules must

be planned accordingly: “If there are rare

birds nesting on a pylon, the removal of

that pylon will just have to wait.”

Putting down rootsAtkins’ ecology consultants work with clients

across the UK on projects of all sizes, from

preservation and translocation of entire

habitats and populations – as at the London

2012 site – to smaller-scale survey work.

It can be a multi-organisational and

multidisciplinary effort. Olliver liaises regularly

on site with everyone from civil engineers and

geotechnical specialists to horticultural experts

and utility inspectors. She ensures that

everyone understands their obligations with

regard to a site’s ecology and to provide

assistance where necessary.

One key area that Olliver is involved in is

the remediation strategy to clear the site of

invasive weed species. This includes Japanese

knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam

and floating pennywort. These species are

managed using environmentally sound

techniques prior to construction.

The overall aim is to preserve the

existing biodiversity or, better still, to

improve it. At the London 2012 site,

increasing biodiversity through the creation

and enhancement of habitats has been

central to the ongoing ecology programme.

nurseries have been planted with cuttings

from those areas that will be lost to

construction, in order that the finished site

can be replanted with the original flora.

A 10,000sq m nature reserve has also

been created near the northern perimeter

of the Olympic Park, along the banks of the

river Lea. It is intended that the diverse set

of habitats contained within the reserve will

become home to a variety of flora and fauna,

including species not previously present.

Jason Lovering heads up five rivers,

an environmental consultancy that has

worked alongside Atkins on several

projects at the east London site, one

of which involved the translocation of

a rare habitat to the new reserve.

“In one area of the Olympic Park there

were some old railway sidings that had, over

half a century or so, formed a diverse habitat

for flora and supported rare invertebrates,”

says Lovering. “It might not look terribly

exciting, but this substrate was actually home

to a species such as the toadflax brocade

moth, which is targeted as a priority for

conservation action under the Biodiversity

Action Plan, so it was important that we

made every effort to preserve it.”

18

a 10,000sq mnature reserve HAS ALSO BEEn crEATEd nEAr THE nOrTHErn PErIMETEr Of THE OLyMPIc PArK, along the banks of the rIver lea

The ballast and surrounding earth

were dug up, loaded on to pallets and

successfully translocated to the reserve.

While this might sound like a simple albeit

physical task, it was painstaking work.

“There was a risk that the aggregate

would turn over during transport and

the natural strata that make the habitat

so unique would be disturbed,” says

Lovering. “When you move turf, the

root structure helps to hold it all together,

but when the aggregate has a layer of

fine silt, as was the case here, it can

easily fall apart.”

Lovering also worked with Atkins

to recreate an important invertebrate

habitat, which would compensate for

one lost during construction of the

stadium at Stratford: “We moved some

300 cubic metres of earth from the new

location and replaced it with a clay

material, which provides the nutrient-

poor substrate required for what we

call brownfield flora,” he says. “This

flora – seeded from the original site –

is essential to attract invertebrate species

such as the brown-banded carder bee.”

The substrate was then surrounded by

log walls, which were drilled with holes in

order to encourage the bees to nest.

Linking it upOne of the biggest challenges when trying

to avoid, or compensate for, the loss of

species and habitats – especially when

dealing with a large-scale project – is

connectivity. A new or translocated habitat

will be ineffective and unsustainable if the

animal or plant species are isolated.

“Wildlife in a large city like London

tends to exist in fragmented pockets,

over a large area,” says Olliver. “When

you create or move habitats, you have

to ensure that the ecological connectivity

is maintained or even enhanced.”

In the Lower Lea Valley, for example,

the waterways that criss-cross the Olympic

Park are important conduits for a variety

of species, including Kingfishers.

The Atkins team has taken a transitional

approach to work on the site in order that

such networks are affected as little as

possible. In the long term, conservation

areas created on the London 2012 site

will form part of the future landscape

of the Olympic Park and will be

linked to the wider countryside

through natural corridors.

“Sometimes derelict and

apparently unimportant

urban environments can

be vital to the survival of

a species,” says the

Environment Agency’s

redmond. “These sites

often act as parts of much

larger networks. Together, they

allow the UK to hold one of the largest

varieties of protected sites in Europe.”

“By having a thorough understanding

of the ecology and the requirements at sites

such as the Olympic Park, and by managing

that efficiently, we can ensure that project

delays and costs are kept to a minimum,”

says Olliver. “Most importantly, we can help

to make sure that the rich biodiversity of

the UK is preserved and enhanced for

generations to come.”

“wIlDlIfe In A LArGE cITy LIKE LOndOn TEndS TO ExIST In frAGMEnTEd POcKETS... WHEn yOU crEATE Or MOVE HABITATS, yOU HAVE TO EnSUrE THAT THE ecologIcal connectIvIty Is maIntaIneD or even enhanceD”

19

the big interviewJames Bulley

What are the biggest challenges

facing LOCOG with regard to

infrastructure and London 2012?

The major challenge is the sheer scale of

the project. as the organising committee,

we don’t just have to think about building

the Olympic Park, which is a very clear

and tangible task. We’re dealing with over

100 sites and venues. These range from

competition venues and operations centres

to training grounds and places that will

welcome spectators, such as airports,

railway stations and car parks.

This obviously represents a huge

investment, both to meet the additional

requirements for existing venues and to

build new ones. The process we’ve been

going through with the Olympic Delivery

authority (ODa) and others concerns how

we refine and optimise our plans, so that

we’re spending our budget in the most

efficient way.

at the same time, one of the decisions

we took during the bid was that we were

going to deliver london 2012 with no

white elephants. Temporary facilities or

installations – what we call “overlay” –

will be used where appropriate. Wherever

possible, we only want to put in additional

facilities on a temporary basis, as opposed

to leaving behind big structures.

even though such facilities are not quite

the same in monetary terms as building an

Olympic Park, the number of projects involved

and the scope of it all make it significant. The

amount of temporary construction, in terms

of venues that we have to build and then

take down after the Games, is three times

more than all the three previous summer

Olympic Games put together.

How does the question of legacy

figure in all of this?

any venue we deliver must be underpinned

by ongoing use and a business plan. If we’re

developing a new venue, we must be sure

it is being built in the right location for use

after the Games. For example, there’s no

point building another indoor arena where

we’ve got an existing arena of the same

size nearby. For the aquatic centre,

it makes absolute sense to build it on the

chosen site: it will probably be the only

competition standard pool in london in

2012, so there’s an absolute need for it.

Where there isn’t a long-term need, we

build a temporary facility. That’s the basis

of lOCOG’s legacy planning.

at the same time, we aren’t starting

from scratch. The concept we presented to

the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

in singapore during the bidding stage

was about taking advantage of london’s

existing world-class venues – Wembley,

Wimbledon, lord’s and the Dome – and

mixing them with some famous london

landmarks. For example, having road

races set against the backdrop of locations

such as Buckingham Palace, st Paul’s

Cathedral and the Tower of london.

I think that gave the london bid

a significant advantage from the start.

add to this the new facilities that we

were proposing for the Olympic Park

and the regeneration of east london,

the big event

For the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), the story starts with the winning bid in 2005. Its main responsibility: to prepare and stage the Games. as the official engineering design services provider for london 2012, atkins is now helping to set the groundwork for the main event. James Bulley, LOCOG’s director of venues and infrastructure, offers his first-hand perspective on getting ready for...

20

“THe maJOr CHaLLenGe is THe sHeer sCaLe OF THe PrOJeCT. as The OrGanIsInG COmmITTee, We DOn’T JusT have TO ThInk aBOuT BuIlDInG The OlymPIC Park, WhICh Is a very Clear anD TanGiBLe Task. We’re DealInG WITh Over 100 siTes and venues”– James Bulley, DIreCTOr OF venues anD InFrasTruCTure, lOCOG

the big event 21

2012ulTImaTely, We hOPe ThaT IT’s GOInG TO Be an aBsOLuTeLy unique and insPiraTiOnaL Games FOr The sPeCTaTOrs WhO COme TO The CITy In

”“

22

and we had a strong proposition and a

very strong legacy prospect.

another question occupying us is what

sort of legacy can we leave the marketplace,

in terms of the type of materials being used?

Temporary facilities require a lot of non-

traditional construction techniques and

materials. Whereas in previous Games a lot

of the construction for new venues was

done in steel and concrete, the creation of

these temporary facilities is anything but

“business as usual”.

We’ve set up a temporary materials

forum that’s engaging the industry and

research establishments to find alternatives

to some of the less sustainable materials

that have been used in the past. This allows

us to challenge the amount of temporary

works that we’ve got and enables us to

have quite an influence over the market in

terms of the way in which these materials

are used in future.

We set out a number of aspirations in

our bid with regard to sustainability and

I can honestly say that this will be the most

sustainable Games ever. We’re working with

a number of forums and organisations

interested in the sustainability side, which

really raises the bar in terms of how we

approach this challenge.

What lessons have been learned from

previous Olympic Games?

We’ve worked quite closely with a number of

people from previous organising committees

in evolving our plans, as well as with the IOC

and the International Paralympic Committee

(IPC). Part of this involves the transfer of

knowledge so that we’re not reinventing the

wheel and we’re using best practice. Part of it

is also to understand what we want london

2012 to be.

The Games are held in different cities

and each has its own identity based on the

host city. london 2012 is going to showcase

london. Our venues are going to be focused

in three core zones: the Central Zone, which

is in central london; the river Zone along

the Thames; and the Olympic Park. all of this

presents a showcase of london in context.

Our core concept is about relating the

new venues we’re building to the existing

architectural context. Whether you’re

watching on the Tv or whether you’re

there as a spectator, london 2012 will

capture the flavour of london as both a

modern and an historic city.

What about planning – how is

that side of things going?

From the time london was awarded the

Games to the actual staging of the event,

lOCOG has seven years in which to deliver

london 2012. The delivery of the overlay

happens in the last year, which leaves six

years to do all of the planning, designing,

operational testing and so on.

During that time we need to ensure

we have analysed everything that needs to

happen in order for london 2012 to be a

success. We have to plan for every eventuality,

which includes contingency planning. The

next two years will be about operational

planning and testing, and getting the detailed

design and procurement in place.

What about security issues? What

planning is in place and do you think it’s

a key issue for London 2012 in particular?

The day after we won the bid, london was

struck by a terrorist attack. security is central

to all of our planning and we absolutely need

to guarantee the safety of the athletes and

the spectators during the Games. everything

that we do, from venue design to operational

planning, looks at the security aspects to

ensure that we can guarantee their safety.

at the moment, it’s a joint effort between

the home Office, lOCOG and the ODa,

and follows through the full life-cycle of the

project. That co-operation and integration

is a key part of our planning. It ensures the

right measures are being put in place and

that operational plans will deliver in 2012.

What do you hope that your

participation in this will leave behind?

We very much hope that, from a venue

standpoint, we’re able to demonstrate

how to deliver an event on this scale in

a sustainable way. ultimately, we hope that

it’s going to be an absolutely unique and

inspirational Games for the spectators who

come to the city to be part of london 2012

and enjoy the Games. That’s really the best

thing we can ask for.

“any venue We DelIver musT Be underPinned By OnGOinG use anD a BusIness Plan. IF We’re DevelOPInG a neW venue, We musT Be sure iT is BeinG BuiLT in THe riGHT LOCaTiOn FOr use aFTer The Games”

23

London 2012 oLympic and paraLympic Games

UK & europe: Woodcote Grove, Ashley Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5BW, UK, T: +44 (0)1372 726140asia pacific: 46th Floor, Raffles City, 268 Xi Zang Zhong Lu, Shanghai 200001, People’s Republic of China, T: +86 21 6122 5100

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lan

de

sig

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na

ble

“The London 2012 olympic and paralympic Games represent a chance for Atkins to take part in something bigger than itself, and to take its

place on the world stage, alongside all those involved”

oUrenGineerinGdesiGnjoUrney

www.atkinsglobal.com