Being involved in the Olympics is a great privilege for a small firm – and it’s a great shame that we can’t shout about it

In response to Peter Murray’s article ‘We should have some of the Olympic glory’ (4 January, www.building.co.uk) our company, Southfacing, has been appointed BREEAM assessor on four of the Olympic park venues (aquatics centre, velodrome, handball arena and Eton Manor hockey centre) as well as the polyclinic on the athletes’ village.

While we won our appointments on merit, we recognise that for a company of our size (less than 10 staff) to be involved in such a project has been a massive privilege. We have put a huge amount of effort into our work and can say that we have learnt a great deal from the experience. Without exception all of the other consultants and contractors we worked with put in a similar level of effort and worked with a level of co-operation I have rarely seen in the almost 20 years I’ve worked in the industry. As a result as well as being frustrating it is also saddening to see those involved unable to publicly share their achievements and experiences.
The London 2012 bid was won on the basis of integrating sustainability from the outset of the project and leaving a legacy of education, opportunities and facilities. As consultants involved in helping to deliver sustainable venues we would love to share our experience with others.

It seems shortsighted of the ODA and LOCOG to miss out on good publicity under the false impression they are protecting their sponsors. I hardly think MacDonalds and Coca Cola will see huge drops in their Games revenue because a few contractors are recognised for their hard work.

So, we agree wholeheartedly with Peter Murray’s comments and we are sure we are not alone!

Clare Lowe, associate director, Southfacing

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