ODA publishes strategy for design excellence

The strategy explains how design will be incorporated into every aspect of planning and delivery, ranging from permanent sporting venues and infrastructure to smaller scale landscaping projects and temporary venues.

The Design Strategy highlights:

• the flexible, tailor-made procurement and selection methods designed to attract a wide and diverse range of designers;
• the rigorous systems for measuring and evaluating 'good' design;
• the forthcoming design opportunities on the Olympic Park including temporary venues for Basketball and Fencing and permanent and multiple use venues for Paralympic Tennis and Archery;
• the strong design team which is represented at every level of the organisation;
• the external review panel which will assess designs and monitor quality, including representatives of CABE and Design for London.

David Higgins, Chief Executive of the ODA said: "We want London 2012 to be remembered for much more than a summer of fantastic sport.

"The Games are also an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for design. We will be creating a new, urban park, one of the biggest in Europe for 150 years, complete with state-of-the-art sporting facilities and well-designed infrastructure that will stand the test of time and breathe new life into the area.

"We have already demonstrated the importance the project attaches to design. The Design Strategy will help ensure that good design runs through the heart of the organisation, ensuring we can measure and monitor progress and make opportunities available to a wide and diverse range of designers."

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: "Great design is fundamental to our promise of staging an outstanding Games while also inspiring a legacy that will change the lives of people in east London. The ODA's approach to design is a good example of how London 2012 is leading the way in planning Games and legacy at the same time, as highlighted recently by the IOC."

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: "The buildings we live, work and play in are fundamental to how we feel about ourselves and how we live our daily lives and therefore are crucial to achieving our ambitions for London 2012.

"The ODA Design Strategy published today demonstrates how good design will be in the DNA of every London 2012 building project, whether it be one of the big four showpiece venues or the landscaping of the largest new urban park in Europe for 150 years.

"This will ensure that not only do we create inspirational sporting venues for the Games but also a visionary environment that will improve the lives of millions for generations to come."

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: "The 2012 Games will combine the best ever Olympics with a showcase of world class design, sustainable development and architecture. This is London's commitment to the International Olympic Committee and the context for the regeneration of east Lond.on that the Games will help to drive forward.

"London has emerged as the design capital of the world and the Olympic Delivery Authority's new design strategy will help ensure that 2012 becomes a year of international excellence for both sport and design."

Richard Simmons from CABE said: "Good clients know that achieving all three objectives of good quality, on time and to budget is a tough balancing act and that quality is all too easy to sacrifice when the going gets tough. The ODA will be hard pressed on time and money which is why I am pleased that it has committed to delivering innovative and creative design.

"With this strategy the ODA is demonstrating how it intends to deliver on good design, and CABE looks forward to continuing to provide the ODA with advice on emerging designs though the joint CABE/DfL design review panel and giving assistance and support through our enabling programmes in CABE and CABE Space."

Sunand Prasad, RIBA President Elect said: "The RIBA warmly welcomes the Olympic Delivery Authority's Design Strategy and its commitment to achieve the highest possible quality of design for the 2012 London Olympics. We strongly support the ODA’s declared intention to seek out hidden and diverse talent as part of the aim of engaging the best architects and design teams.

"Good design will help and not hinder timely delivery to properly established budgets. However, a strategy takes more commitment to deliver without compromise than to write. Already working with the ODA, the RIBA is ready to do all we can to help and encourage the ODA to achieve a result that genuinely reflects its design strategy."

Ends

Download the Design Strategy (PDF, 3MB)

Notes to Editors:

The ODA Design Strategy outlines:

ODA design principles - the vision of 'good design' will be clearly defined, measured and procured through:

• establishing a Value Matrix to ensure that good design is defined and measured against 6 core value measurements
• establishing clear design briefs, a tailor-made procurement route, design selection panels or juries and reviews throughout every project
• involving wide range of organisations and supporting emerging talent to ensure a diverse range of designers are involved
• ensuring that the local community are involved in the design process

ODA design opportunities – the potential opportunities that will arise over the next five years include:

• temporary venues design, including Basketball and Fencing which will require innovative and creative multi-disciplinary teams, and the Hockey and Paralympic Tennis and archery which needs design solutions for mulitiple transformations from Olympic to Paralympic and Legacy phases
• design competition for the Park Bridge at heart of Olympic Park
• Olympic Framework panels where less well-established practises from a range of design specialisms can undertake smaller commissions

ODA design management – the processes that will ensure design quality is delivered will include:

• a strong design team represented at every level of organisation including design advisors and a design champion at Board level
• ensuring there is sufficient design time built into each project and that it is addressed at every stage from planning through procurement to construction
• client reviews at every stage of design development in addition to reviews by the ODA Design and Town Planning Board, external multidisciplinary team and an external review panel which includes representatives from CABE and Design for London.
• strong design briefs and design guides for every project.

Media Enquiries

Contact the ODA Press Office on 020 3 2012 700