Banging the drum for UK Plc

13/01/2012 Written by: Mike Cook No comments

Buro Happold is renowned for delivering innovative and inspiring engineering solutions for world class sports stadia. Our building and infrastructure portfolio includes Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and the Oval Lingotto Speed Skating Arena in Turin – impressive indeed. However we are unable to talk about the full contents of our portfolio….

In his recent letter to The Times regarding the Olympic Delivery Authority’s “draconian publicity rules” Peter Murray, chairman of New London Architecture, refers to the very relevant commercial benefits to be gained from sharing Olympic experiences with the media and beyond. Buro Happold is firmly of the belief there are a number of other, more philanthropic benefits to be gained in talking about the UK construction industry’s very positive involvement in the delivery of this summer’s Games.

The creation and delivery of the ‘stage’ for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games is an unprecedented showcase for sustainability, and will leave a lasting legacy for the Lower Lea Valley that goes beyond the main event in social, business and employment opportunities. As a model of urban regeneration seeded by a major global event it really delivers what it promised at the outset with the creation of, in what was once perceived as an area of high deprivation, new infrastructure, world class sports facilities and much needed housing.

London 2012 showcases to the world the exceptional wealth of talent, innovation and expertise the UK construction industry has to offer. In the current economic climate UK plc should grasp the Games as a major opportunity to tell and clearly show the world that our construction industry delivers, and how!

We should also use the many, varied venues already completed as a superb opportunity to inspire our youth, both at home and abroad. They need to see beyond the spectacle of this summer’s main event, to the drama of these huge, awe-inspiring buildings, and the innovative ways in which they have been constructed, to encourage more of them to enter our world and become the engineering, architectural and design talent of the future.

The success of both the UK construction and event management industries should be widely celebrated and all involved should be allowed to showcase their role in this major success story to secure further contracts not only within the UK but as a key UK export around the globe.

The question that needs to be asked is what further opportunities globally is UK plc missing out on by keeping this success story hidden?

Clearly there are protocols that Locog has to follow but surely, when we have something so positive to shout about, Boris Johnson or even David Cameron should be banging the drum harder for London and the UK. We, and many other individuals and firms, would happily help.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Dr Mike Cook,

Senior Partner Buro Happold