A sporting chance

 

The London 2012 Olympics will present one of the most challenging construction projects the capital has ever faced, and also one of the biggest opportunities.

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When the nation’s capital won the bid, it started a process that will have a long lasting and positive impact on all of the country.

Already, construction work for London’s £496m Olympic stadium has started, so everything’s looking good for London’s moment in the sun. Here, scenta investigates the heroic efforts behind the world’s greatest sporting event.

A lasting legacy

Central to the Olympic construction effort is the notion of sustainability, in terms of eco-conscious design, urban regeneration and long-term skills legacy.

CLM - the consortium of CH2M Hill, Laing O’Rourke and Mace - have been given the job, alongside the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), of building the games. CLM have between them experience of five previous Olympic games, as well as involvement with Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010. CLM, alongside the ODA, will be responsible for making sure the hundreds of construction contracts involved with staging the games are brought in on time, on budget and in a sustainable fashion.

We spoke to Louise Hardy, Technical Director of CLM, to find out more.

Can you explain what exactly your job involves?

CLM is the [Olympic] delivery partner. We were hired by the Olympic Delivery Authority to be their right hand in ‘making things happen’. We’re involved – as a group – in everything from working with the ODA to form the initial concepts and ideas to going through the procurement process.

My role as part of CLM’s executive team is to take all the technical groups, including design management, field engineering and sustainability groups… through everything that defines the criteria for the project, and ensure that all of those aspects flow into each of the separate projects and overall for the Olympic Park.

So you have one of the bigger pictures of the operation?

Yes, it’s like you see the initial seed and you’re the one that makes sure that it gets planted, that it’s bedded right and that it grows. The point where it’s a seedling about to grow into something mighty is the point at which you hand it off into the construction teams where the bulk of the growth of the project happens.

Your job obviously involves knowledge of a large number of disciplines. How did you get that point?
I believe that you have to start somewhere. When I left college I went through the ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) route of training to become chartered. The beauty of doing it through that route is that it’s very structured. You experience all the elements that are important in shaping a project.

It’s also to do with luck and fortune, and I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved with many of the very large projects and programmes that have taken place in London… the Limehouse Link Tunnel, the Jubilee Line extension, both halves of the Channel Tunnel rail link and some of the tube network upgrades.

Once you get immersed in a project as a civil engineer, you get immersed in the whole project and you touch every single element of it. You’re always exposed to different and unique circumstances and it’s almost like you learn the skill of problem solving.

Given the scale and complexity of the project, what kinds of skills will be in demand?

We’re currently into the civil engineering side of the work– ground, remediation, geotechnical, moving into bridges and road – and as we move away from the ground and into the stadia that’ll be more in the realm of structural engineering. Of course, there’s a whole realm of opportunity opening in the M & E (mechanical and engineering) and electronics side.

Logistically, and in terms of challenge, the broadcast facilities are quite sizeable. And – given the amount of pressure during the Olympic Games, and that the eyes on the world will be on London – those that deal with the optic nerve will be in demand.

I presume that involvement with the 2012 programme will be really good for your CV, and for the CVs of everyone involved?

Apart from anything else it’s a very inspiring programme. I’ve worked on several large programmes and this one – in certain respects – is one of the most complex.

There are in fact almost three final products: You’re designing for the Olympic Games, then you convert for the Paralympic Games, and then you deal with the dismantling of certain temporary elements of the stadia and get to the final legacy stage. In that, you have completely different considerations for a longer term park environment.

In some respects it’s almost mouth watering… it just whets the appetite to get into solving the problem.

I know it’s a long way away, but what could you possibly do next that could compare with the Olympic Park?

It’s often the case you wonder what you can do next, but there always appears to be opportunities opening up. There is a great deal of work that occurs overseas… I’ve worked abroad before and that’s quite challenging and very enjoyable.

A unique opportunity

According to Skills Minister David Lammy, who said: “London 2012 offers a unique opportunity to create jobs and skill-up local residents, the effects of which will be felt for years to come. Our investment in the skills, we need to build world class facilities and infrastructure, will bring considerable benefits to London’s economy.”

Essential to this is the unveiling of the multi-million pound National Skills Academy for Construction, which aims to deliver a series of practical training programmes providing the necessary skills for the project, as well as for life afterwards. Funded by the Learning and Skills Council and the London Development Agency, it includes a new Plant Training Centre on the Olympic Park site.

The venture, which aims to employ 2,000 trainees, apprentices and work placements, includes a specific strand to attract women into the construction industry.

At the peak construction period, the ODA, will – through public and private sector partners – recruit between 9,000 and 10,000 construction workers.

Currently, there are 2,275 construction workers involved with the project, the majority of which are working on the Olympic Park site.

Could you be a part of one of world’s greatest projects? The opportunity of a lifetime presents itself through London 2012, and you too could be a winner.

Find out more at http://www.london2012.com/

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