'Greatest Contribution to London' award for engineering project that laid the foundations for the Olympic Park - 04 March 2010

The engineering project that laid the foundations for the long-term regeneration of the Olympic Park site has been awarded the 'Greatest Contribution to London' award at this year’s ICE London Civil Engineering Awards, it was announced today.

The award was presented to the Olympic Park Enabling Works programme which began when the 2.5sq km Olympic Park site was handed over to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in summer 2007. The Enabling Works project covered the huge programme to clean and clear the Olympic Park site, along with the preparation of each main venue site to allow construction work to start on time, the delivery of essential new infrastructure, and work to prepare the Park for extensive new parklands and improved biodiversity.

ODA Director of Infrastructure and Utilities Simon Wright, who collected the ICE award, said: 'We are honoured to receive this award which is worthy recognition of a project that laid the foundations for the Olympic Park and the new homes, sporting venues, parklands and new infrastructure that will benefit generations to come.

'The skyline of East London is being transformed by the new venues we are building, but it was the early Enabling Works programme that came quickly out of the blocks to lay the platform for the huge progress we are now seeing. It is a testament to the quality of delivery from our partners and contractors during the Enabling Works programme that the project remains firmly on track and on budget as we enter our toughest year on the project.'

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'I am delighted that the Olympic Park took the top award. This work is helping to secure a truly lasting legacy for the capital and the transformation of the East End is one of the biggest ever single regeneration projects seen in Europe. The calibre of this year's entries is world-class, stating loud and clear that London is the place to be for a career in engineering excellence.'

ICE London Director Miranda Housden said: 'The project team behind the Olympic Park Enabling Works has raised the bar for infrastructure delivery in the city. I congratulate all involved in this massive regeneration project which will benefit a significant proportion of Londoners and visitors to London for decades to come.'

Mike McNicholas, director from Atkins, which designed and managed the Enabling Works project, said: 'This was a vast, technically complex project and a fantastic showcase for civil engineering, as well as a brilliant demonstration of collaborative working – the Atkins team alone included engineers, project managers, ecologists, soil scientists and sustainability experts.

'As the Olympic Park is transformed over the coming months it will be difficult to imagine the hard work which took place below the surface, so we’re delighted to see the project’s success recognised in its own right.'

The main achievements in the enabling works programme highlighted by the ICE Award include:
• A huge demolition and clean-up programme delivered on time with over 215 buildings demolished and 2.3 million cubic metres of soil excavated to be reused for earthworks or recycled to become ‘fill’ material for construction work
• Exceeding the challenging target of reusing and recycling 90 per cent of material during the demolition phase
• The early delivery of site preparation works on the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre, allowing the main construction work to start ahead of schedule
• The programme to revitalise over 3km of rivers and canals in the Olympic Park site well underway
• Delivery well underway of a new ‘backbone’ of 30 new bridges and underpasses together with early site access roads to create essential new links across the Olympic Park - the single biggest construction project the ODA is delivering
• Developing a coordinated approach through all contractors across the Olympic Park site, allowing maximum efficiency and flexibility in the logistics, design and construction work.

Ends


For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 700.

For Atkins enquiries, please contact Ben Thompson or Andy Winstanley in the Atkins Press Office on +44 (0)1372 752154.


Notes to editors:

1. A selection of images of the Olympic Park showing work in the Enabling Works programme can be downloaded from http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr134049812
2. The Olympic Park Enabling works programme was overseen by Atkins, with Morrison Construction Limited managing work on the north of the Olympic Park and BAM Nuttall Limited managing work on the south of the Olympic Park
3. The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is one of the pre-eminent engineering institutions in the world. Established as a learned society in 1818, it has over 75,000 members and provides a voice for civil engineering, continuing professional development and promoting best practice throughout the industry. Further details from www.ice-london.org.uk
4. Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's leading engineering and design consultancies. We have the depth and breadth of technical expertise to respond both to the complex challenges of major infrastructure projects, and the urgent transition to a low-carbon economy. Whether it’s the concept for a new skyscraper, the upgrade of a rail network, the modelling of a flood defence system or the improvement of a management process, we plan, design and enable solutions.

Atkins is the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.