The Making of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

This is the story of The Making of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park by the Olympic Delivery Authority. Situated in east London adjacent to Victoria Park, one of the world’s earliest public parks built in the 19th century, the Park provides an innovative blueprint for contemporary urban park design and is recognised as an exemplar sustainable development for the 21st century. As a primary legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Park was conceived as a new piece of sustainable city, transforming a largely neglected, contaminated, post-industrial district, into a new community for up to 20,000 residents, shifting the centre of gravity of London eastwards. Written by those at the heart of the project, it draws significantly on contributions from the many experts who have shaped and guided the creation of the Park, including interviews with the key players responsible for delivering the project. It provides the only authoritative account of the planning, design and construction of the Park beginning with the bid to host the games, setting out its historical, philosophical and physical context; describing the strategic fit within the Thames Gateway, Lower Lea Valley and Stratford City; explaining how One Planet Living principles developed by WWF and BioRegional underpinned sustainability throughout the project; and concludes with a ‘Walk in Park’ capturing its essence for both Games and Legacy. Richly illustrated, it is a unique reference for those involved in the planning, design, delivery and management of sustainable urban parks and new communities on post-industrial and other land, and those seeking to host future Games and other large-scale international events.

Acknowledgements 5 Foreword – Sir Nicholas Serota 8 Introduction – The Power of the Games 12 Chapter One – Start with the Park 22 Interview: Alison Nimmo CBE 36 Interview: Jason Prior & Bill Hanway 46 Chapter Two – Delivering the Park 60 Interview: Sir David Higgins 66 Interview: Ian Galloway OBE & Matt Heal 80 Chapter Three – Planning and Designing the Park 104 Interview: George Hargreaves 116 Interview: Andrew Harland & Neil Mattinson 140 Interview: Sarah Price 154 Chapter Four – Constructing the Park 166 Interview: Simon Wright OBE 180 Interview: Tom Armour & Bill Grose / Alison Braham & Martyn Lass MBE 190 Interview: Professor Nigel Dunnett & Professor James Hitchmough 210 Chapter Five – A Walk in the Park 228 Interview: Dennis Hone 236 Interview: Sir John Armitt 244 Afterword – ProfessorJames Corner 260 Schedule of Teams Involved in the Project 264 Glossary 269 References 272 Index 278 Picture Credits 286