ODA shuns Athletes' Village design panel precedent
- Published: 22 February 2008 11:13
- Author: Max Thompson
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- Last Updated: 22 February 2008 11:14
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The Olympic Delivery Authority's head of design, Jerome Frost, has pledged that the forthcoming Olympic Design Panel (ODP) will not be run in the same way as Lend Lease's Athletes' Village design panel.
Lend Lease has taken flak over the running of its now 45 practice-strong panel after Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Haworth Tompkins both turned down the chance to work on the scheme, saying they were 'too busy', amid fears that much of the project had already been designed (AJ 06.12.07).
Frost said members of the ODP, the tender for which will be released in the spring, will design a 'whole series of small buildings including benches
and kiosks, that will contribute to the memorable character of the park'.
However, although the ODP is likely to be formed from the country's best-known architects, Frost said he 'would not like to draw an analogy' with the Athletes' Village design panel.
Frost said: 'The issue is always about getting the balance between opportunity and realism – you want plenty of people to be part of that process, but I don't want to say we have more work than we can actually realise.
'In other words we want to avoid having people sitting round waiting for something that never arises.'
