The end Games?

A chat with a leading industry bod late last week got me thinking about the upcoming Olympics work. The project could signal the end of an era for some of the most famous faces in our industry. If Foster and Partners get the stadium job it would be more than likely the last major addition to the London landscape by Lord Foster himself, who has probably had more impact on the capital of any architect since Sir Christopher Wren. Contractor Sir Robert McAlpine appears to be the only firm willing to actually build the thing, giving the opportunity to the irrepressible Benny Kelly to end his career with a fittingly landmark scheme. And what about the programme managers, Mace/Laing O'Rourke/Davis Langdon? The three most famous faces from those firms - Bob White, Ray O'Rourke and Rob Smith - could decide to go out on a high (hopefully) after 2012. It's a rather sad thought to consider the passing faces that have dominated UK construction for so long.