Students influence Olympic Park design

In partnership with the Royal College of Art (RCA), the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) ran a day-long workshop with almost 50 students from various disciplines from the Royal College, London Metropolitan University and the University of East London.

The students were asked to focus on the designs of the 'gabion' structures that will be used extensively through the Olympic Park and will become a key design characteristic in both Games and legacy.

ODA Head of Design Jerome Frost, said: 'This is a great opportunity for the designers and artists of tomorrow to have an input into the design and planning for the largest new urban park in 150 years. We are hoping their creativity and inventiveness will help us create public spaces that have a fresh, contemporary feel and reflect our sustainability and ecological ambitions.

'The gabions will be used throughout the Olympic Park as an alternative to walls or concrete, for example in retaining river banks or as bridge abutments. Their structure means they open up a host of possibilities for incorporating a wide selection of objects and materials and can help tell the history of the Park.'

Professor Alan Cummings, the Pro-Rector for the RCA said: 'Today’s students will be the practising artists and designers of the future, so we wanted to give the ODA a glimpse of their creativity and their ideas for creating an Olympic Park able to serve local communities for decades.'

The students were given presentations on the Olympic Park by members of the ODA design team and then spent a day working in groups to develop their ideas and produce drawings, visuals and models. The groups then presented their work to a panel of judges, chaired by Nicholas Serota.

Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate and an ODA Board member said: 'We were incredibly impressed by the way in which all the groups grasped the essence of the task and focused on the legacy that would be left as much as the Games themselves.

Notes to editors:

A gabion is a large, and usually steel-mesh, basket structure filled with broken stone or rubble, usually excavated from the site where the gabion will be used.

The design workshop was held on Wednesday 13th February at the Royal College of Art in Kensington, London.

The judging panel consisted of:

• Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate and ODA Board member 
• John Hopkins, ODA project sponsor for Parklands and Public Realm 
• Grenville Davey, sculptor 
• Jerome Frost, ODA Head of Design 
• Mark Blackwell, Parklands masterplanner, EDAW 
• Sarah Weir, ODA Head of Arts and Culture Strategy

The judges picked out two teams whose ideas had particularly impressed the panel.

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

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