Olympic Park Legacy Company chief executive tells Building what the rest of the world is making of London 2012’s post-games preparations

How are you finding the event so far?

On the London stand in particular there is a real buzz and a sense of excitement about what’s happening in the capital. You see people coming over to look at the information about the park - generally taking a huge amount of interest in what we’re doing. People are busy talking to international and European investors and London is obviously going to be one of the top cities in the world to invest in going forward. It’s not just interest in the Olympic Park but in Kings Cross and Nine Elms - other big schemes.

How aware are people of the OPLC here? Obviously the ODA has been in the spotlight for six years and LOCOG have the buzz of Games time preparation and delivery. But what about opinions on the legacy side of things?

I think there is a growing awareness and there is certainly recognition of our legacy and attention is turning more towards this part of the Games. People are seeing what’s happening in the surrounding boroughs and they are seeing us out there driving that. Obviously the Games will be the focus for the next five months but there is a shift in focus.

What are your thoughts on our Building 2012 campaign?

I think it’s fantastic. The Olympics are a major testimony to the skill of the construction industry. It’s an extraordinary accomplishment. The ODA has done an outstanding job. It’s just incredible when you look at the pictures from what is used to look like and what it looks like today. And we have a great opportunity to market this to the world. We need to market this construction success story.

Do you feel added pressure now the ODA has set the bar so high?

It’s a good pressure. The fact we have an absolutely world class site is great and we are committed now to make sure it can only get better. We welcome the pressure. We want to maintain that.


For more information on our Building 2012 campaign, follow us on Twitter at #bldg2012.

Andrew Altman will be speaking at our next Building CEO summit on March 15th at the Savoy Hotel.

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