The Olympic Velodrome stadium has been hailed as a sustainable highlight of the construction phase of the London 2012 Games.
Chairman of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, Shaun McCarthy said the Velodrome had achieved 37 per cent energy efficiency above 2006 building regulations, while the Aquatics Centre had achieved the minimum target of 15 per cent.
He said: "I love the Velodrome, it's a wonderful example of an iconic, low-cost and energy-efficient building where there was £40m in cost driven out by using low-cost materials.
"If we could replicate that and contractors, designers and engineers can learn from it then we can export those skills for other projects."
Mr McCarthy added that the Aquatics Centre had been a disappointment in sustainability terms, and said that it had suffered through the way it was commissioned.
"This building was designed with a wide, sweeping roof that required a lot of steel and suddenly money and carbon was being added and it made it difficult for engineers to build. It is an example of where we could do better."
Although the most recent report from the commission has revealed the target of delivering 20 per cent of energy through renewable sources will be missed, Mr McCarthy said overall the construction phase had been a success in terms of sustainability.
Carbon emissions are likely to be reduced by 50 per cent and will be boosted by £1m being committed to insulation and energy efficiency for local schools and housing.
However he said that often the "really green option was not given serious consideration" and that the construction industry needs to plan for a low carbon future properly or it risks "building itself into obsolescence".
He added: "Within the construction industry some of the major players like Skanska and BalfourBeatty are starting to differentiate their offers around sustainability and firms now need to look at projects and ask why they are not asking for the same sustainability standards as the ODA.
"There now needs to be a body of evidence established that demonstrates there is value for money to be achieved through sustainability but implementing it in terms of government procurement will be a very tough road - the lessons will have to be interpreted before they can be applied."
Taken from Construction News (www.cnplus.com) 21 April 2011, By Tom Fitzpatrick