Learning Legacy: London 2012 showcase for sustainable, safe and successful construction set to raise the bar of UK building industry

Article taken from London 2012 website. Click here for the original article.

Learning Legacy - www.london2012.com/learninglegacy - is a collaborative approach between the ODA, contractors, professional institutes, government bodies and academia, and builds on the ethos set by the ODA of setting targets well above the industry benchmarks, meeting the majority of these and, in a number of cases, exceeding expectations.

It marks the first time that a construction project in the UK has sought to capture intellectual capital on this scale.

The programme, which is set to be a major showcase for UK plc as the Government looks to capitalise on the positive effect the London 2012 construction project has had on the industry, will see the organisations involved taking ownership of ten themes to help businesses raise the bar in areas such as design and engineering, planning, procurement and project management (see Footnotes for a breakdown of the ten themes). In addition it will set out how the ODA tackled issues such as getting more women into construction, building better health and safety records, creating a green landscape from a former industrial site and completing projects on time and within budget.

The website will also be able to be contributed to over time; becoming a comprehensive online library for companies of all shapes and sizes to refer to. It will go some way towards the ODA's own legacy of sharing best practice and ensuring that the valuable lessons learned on the project can be replicated by others.

Learning Legacy launched on 17 October at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Westminster, with speeches given by ODA Chairman John Armitt. The Government's Chief Construction Adviser Paul Morrell then chaired a panel that included senior figures, including ODA Chief Executive Dennis Hone.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'The Learning Legacy framework is the embodiment of a new benchmark that has been created in delivering Europe's largest construction project to the ultimate deadline and within budget. The scale and speed of the coordinated UK effort to build the venues and infrastructure is unprecedented and the knowledge and lessons gained during construction will both benefit the industry and act as a catalyst for inward investment'.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: 'The Olympic Park is a showcase for the best of British design, engineering, construction and project management. We want companies to win new contracts off the back of this success story but also to share the best practice across industry as a whole. Learning Legacy will ensure that important lessons are shared throughout the industry.'

The programme is centred around a website that outlines the programme and provides case studies and reports across the ten industry themes.  It has been created from over 250 papers put together by the ODA and its supply chain, in addition to including independent research by industry bodies and academics.

The website is also linked to the associated industry organisations which are supporting the active dissemination of the Learning Legacy framework, with details of relevant seminars, events and workshops they are running to advise and educate future construction projects.

The ODA is working closely with the following industry and professional bodies on disseminating the lessons learned: Association for Project Management, Chartered Institute of Building, Health and Safety Executive, Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, The Landscape Institute and UK Green Building Council.

Footnotes:
The ten Learning Legacy themes are:

• Design and engineering innovation;
• Equality, Inclusion, Employment and skills;
• Health and safety;
• Masterplanning and town planning;
• Procurement and supply chain management;
• Programme organisation and project management;
• Sustainability;
• Systems and technology;
• Transport;
• Archaeology.

The majority of themes are broken down into the following sub-sections:

• Micro reports: Short examples of lessons learned, best practice and innovations from the construction programme by the ODA, its Delivery Partner, contractors and industry partners.
• Case studies: Peer reviewed papers on lessons learned, best practice and innovations from across the Programme by the ODA and its Delivery Partner, the supply chain and industry.
• Research summaries: Summary reports of research projects undertaken by academia and industry on the London 2012 construction project.  These organisations will also publish full research papers as they are finalised throughout 2012.
• Champion products: Examples of tools and templates used successfully on the project.

Panellists at the Learning legacy event include: Alison Nimmo, ODA Director of Design & Regeneration; Simon Wright, ODA Director of Infrastructure & Utilities; Hugh Sumner, ODA Director for Transport; Ian Galloway Programme Director for the ODA's Delivery Partner, CLM; Mike McNicholas, Director of Atkins.

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