Less than a year from now the stars of world sport will gather in London for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Six venues are now completed, according to schedule. But how green are the places that have been built in the capital and how are the games going to contribute to the environment?
Controversy originally surrounded the original site over fears of natural wildlife displacement, ecological impact and permanent sustainable legacy, but the Olympic Organising Committee dispelled fears with a renewed commitment to its decision to ensure that the 2012 Olympics would be the greenest Olympics.
The Swimming Centers are the last venue to be completed. The 160-metre wave adorning Zaha Hadid's building is a distinctive addition to the City of London. It joins the Olympic Stadium, velodrome, handball arena, basketball arena and the international broadcasting center, like the other completed venues.
Work began at the Aquatic Center more than three years ago. More than three thousand people have worked on the construction, in order to ensure that the products used have been sustainably sourced in the UK, including steel from North Wales and underfloor heating from Tyne near Newcastle.
Sustainable design at the center includes the use of 30,000 sections of low-carbon wood from ethical sources. The striking wave on the roof is steel, covered with aluminum, of which half has been recycled. There has been a reduction in the chemicals used in plastic seats and as far as possible the impact on the environment generated by the transport of goods to the Olympic Park, the ceramic tiles used in the swimming pools, for example, were transported by train.
Andrew Altman, chief executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said: "The Aquatic Centre will be a unique facility in London that puts sport at the heart of regeneration. As a focal point for the national and international swimming community, it will sit in the centre of the South Square – London's new public space, which will welcome visitors to Queen Elizabeth's Olympic Park after the Games."
In the other venues, the Olympic Stadium is described as the greenest so far. It has been built with low-carbon concrete, which sees a 40% reduction in carbon use. On the roof of the stadium, the decorative structural rings have been made with recycled gas pipes. The stadium has been built in a basin in the ground, ensuring less steel and less concrete used in construction. Compared to other Olympic stadiums the London stadium is 75% lighter in terms of steel. Other features of the park are the recycling of 3,000 square meters of external copper cladding in the Handball Arena and the 100% natural ventilation in the Velodrome.
In the rest of the work for the Green Olympics has been done to reduce the environmental impact of the construction process. Surveys were carried out on plants and animals whose natural habitat is in the Park and which have been relocated. Much of the space was an abandoned site so the land was clean of any chemicals and debris, while the waterways and greenways have been cleaned.
However, the sustainable legacy of the Games has been questioned by some politicians who have called for research into the ecological impact on surrounding areas after 2012. The London Assembly's Environment Committee must review the commitment made to the local community in Stratford once the Games are over. The Olympic Park will be renamed Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park and 10,000 new homes will be built.
Murad Qureshi, chairman of the Environment Committee, said, "Great promises were made about how environmentally friendly the Stratford headquarters will be. We want to investigate how these commitments will be fulfilled once the excitement of the Games is over.
The Olympic Park offers the possibility of creating a new and wonderful area in the capital, which promotes a more sustainable way of life. We need to ensure that this is a reality in order to secure a long-term legacy for London."
Authors: Val Escobedo
