A map celebrating the role of civil engineers in transforming the Olympic Park has been produced by ICE London and Ordnance Survey, with support from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).
The learning resource was launched in mid-October at the View Tube, a venue overlooking the Olympic park, to an audience of 40 teachers from across London.
The teachers were then taken on a guided tour of the park by the engineers involved in the site’s transformation.
During the launch event, ICE President-elect Peter Hansford announced details of a new national competition, the Create Sport Challenge. Delivered by ICE in partnership with Arup and EDT, the free competition encourages young people to study science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and will award £1,000 to the school of the student team that can design and build the best model of a community sports venue. Schools across the UK have been invited to participate.
Miranda Housden, Director ICE London, hosted the event and introduced the guest speakers. She stated:
“Civil engineering is about creating, improving and protecting the world in which we live, from providing clean water and energy supplies to designing road and rail networks. This map of the Olympic Park brings to life the challenges that engineers faced in transforming the site into what we see today – a space which will very soon be at the very heart of a vibrant and prosperous East London.
“When the Olympic and Paralympic Games come to the city in 2012 the nation should be very proud of what its engineers have achieved. The Games are a great opportunity to inspire young people to take STEM subjects, and ICE is delighted to invite London’s schools to make the most of the Engineering the Olympics map and participate in the Create Sport Challenge.”
The map plots the main venues, utilities, road and rail links but also explains how engineers overcame the challenges of managing waste, transport, energy and water resources on the site.
Guest speaker Simon Wright, Director of Infrastructure, Utilities & Public Realm at the Olympic Delivery Authority, said:
“To produce such a detailed and visual map of the Olympic Park – Europe’s largest construction site - is a significant achievement in itself. It is also a testament to the engineering feats of those who have breathed life into the spectacular venues and infrastructure on the 500-acre site. But perhaps more importantly, it is set to become a vital tool which can be used to educate and inform the next generation of civil engineers by inspiring them to study courses in science, technology, engineering and maths.”
Gill Blake, Business Marketing Manager, Ordnance Survey, talked about Ordnance Survey’s involvement in the project, and stated:
“This special edition Ordnance Survey map recognises the outstanding achievements of civil engineers in transforming a substantial area of East London in preparation for the Olympic Games.
“ICE members and other built environment professionals make better decisions based on mapping data from Ordnance Survey every day and we are delighted to continue our work with ICE to demonstrate how exciting and rewarding a career in civil engineering can be.”
Other guest speakers included Chris Wise, Director of Expedition the structural engineer for the Olympic Park Velodrome, who gave an illustrated talk on the challenges of creating the structure from inception to completion.
Preview the map
Email ice.london@ice.org.uk or call +44 (0)20 7665 2108 to receive a free copy of the map.
Visit the Ordnance Survey's blog, which includes a downloadable pdf of the map.
For further information about the Create Sport Challenge national schools competition, visit the Create Sport Challenge website.
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