London Olympics Village Buildings News, Investor, List, Practices, Legacy, Design, Offices

London Olympics Village Architecture

2012 Delancey / Qatari Diar Property Development in Stratford, England, UK

15 Aug 2011

London Olympics Village Investor

Olympic Village investor announced with plans for a new neighbourhood for London

£557m deal secures significant public sector returns and world-class legacy owner for Village

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today announced that contracts have been signed with the joint venture of Delancey and Qatari Diar for the purchase and long-term management of the Olympic Village. The joint venture will work alongside Triathlon Homes who will manage the affordable housing in the Village.

The Village, which lies adjacent to the Olympic Park, will create a new neighbourhood for east London, delivering the best of city living all in one place – high-quality new homes, education and healthcare facilities, new parklands, public squares and open space, with transport links making it one of the best connected parts of the capital.

Aerial photo from the London Olympics Village site – 27 Jul 2011:

image from ODA

The Village will deliver 2,818 new homes, including 1,379 already purchased by joint venture Triathlon Homes to become high-quality affordable housing. Delancey and Qatari Diar will now acquire the ODA’s interests in the remaining 1,439 homes which will become private housing, along with six adjacent future development plots with the potential for a further 2,000 new homes. Delancey and Qatari Diar will invest around £557 million for the purchase and long-term management of the Olympic Village. The deal also includes arrangements to provide a future profit-share for the public sector.

The majority of the 1,439 private homes in the Village are to be let on a rental basis, instead of being sold, with the ownership remaining with the Delancey and Qatari Diar joint venture. This will create the first UK private sector residential fund of over 1,000 homes to be owned and directly managed as an investment.

ODA Chief Executive Dennis Hone said: “This deal will deliver a significant return to the public purse and a first-class owner for the Olympic Village. It secures two leading property investors with the experience and expertise needed to make the Village one of the strongest legacies from the Games. The Village will deliver the best of city living all in one place with high-quality new homes, education and healthcare facilities, new parklands, great transport links, public squares and open space.”

Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt said: “This is a fantastic deal that will give taxpayers a great return and shows how we are securing a legacy from London’s Games. The Village will be the centrepiece of a new vibrant East London community and I am confident that these experienced property investors will deliver a modern, spacious neighbourhood that will contribute hugely to the regeneration of the area including the provision of much needed new housing.”

Mohammed bin Ali Al Hedfa, Group CEO of Qatari Diar said: “Qatari Diar is delighted to have signed this agreement with the Olympic Delivery Authority, in a joint venture with Delancey. We are looking forward to working with all those involved to ensure that the Olympic Village becomes a fitting legacy to the London 2012 Olympics, and one that will benefit the local communities. Our commitment to the UK market and to building long-term relationships with our partners and the wider community is of paramount importance to us to ensure that we leave a positive cultural, environmental and sustainable footprint.”

Jamie Ritblat, Chief Executive of Delancey said: “This acquisition reflects the first truly great residential investment opportunity in the UK; offering the chance to break the mould and create a sustainable leasing model to provide first class accommodation for those who see the chance to rent long-term, as the way forward. We are enthusiastic about working in close partnership with the ODA, OPLC, Triathlon, London Borough of Newham, and the other key stakeholders, to deliver a strong community, and a legacy which will make this and the wider Stratford story, one which we can all be proud of, not just within London but on the global stage as well. This is a long-term project for us – we are looking to retain the neighbourhood and create a place where people will want to live, work and play for years to come.”

Elliot Lipton, Executive Director, Triathlon Homes said: “We look forward to working with Delancey and Qatari Diar to achieve the fantastic potential the Olympic Village offers. The integration of private and affordable homes of the highest quality, alongside first class facilities and expansive green spaces, will result in the creation of a new and complete London neighbourhood. Alongside Delancey and Qatari Diar, we will continue to work with the ODA to ensure the delivery of top quality homes, which will set exemplary design and sustainability standards, ready for residents to move into from late 2013.”

Delancey is a specialist real estate investment company with a property portfolio that covers retail, residential and commercial developments across London and the UK, and which has a strong track record when it comes to creating and managing high quality places that people want to live and work in. Its work includes extensive, residential, investment and development interests. For example the Arc – a mixed retail, residential and community development in Bury St Edmunds; the New Commercial Courts on Fetter Lane, London; the N1 Shopping Centre in Islington; and most recently, a scheme to convert a former GlaxoSmithKline industrial site in Kent into a mixed-use scheme with around 970 homes.

Qatari Diar is a real estate investor and developer owned wholly by the Qatar Investment Authority that has been involved in landmark developments across Europe and the Middle East. Their London portfolio includes the Chelsea Barracks site in Westminster, one of the largest redevelopment sites in London; three residential buildings within the Grosvenor Waterside complex, including the award-winning Bramah residential development, on the north bank of the Thames; and the US Embassy building in Grosvenor Square. Qatari Diar has also recently entered into a joint venture with Canary Wharf Group to redevelop the Shell Centre site at South Bank, in the heart of London.

The appointment of the Delancey and Qatari Diar joint venture follows an open and competitive investment process launched in October 2010 which saw submissions from leading property developers across the UK, mainland Europe, North America and Asia. The ODA will now work closely with Delancey and Qatari Diar together with Triathlon Homes to develop the long-term plans for the Village.

Triathlon Homes, a joint venture established by urban development and investment company First Base, and housing associations Southern Housing Group and East Thames Group, purchased 1,379 of the new homes in June 2009, investing £268 million in the Olympic Village through a collaborative public-private partnership. The final high quality homes will be delivered to the consortium from late 2013, and will help create a new and complete London neighbourhood that delivers more time, space and rewarding experiences to all who live there. There will be a mix of tenures and home types, offering opportunities to a range of residents and helping to ensure a successful legacy for Stratford and the wider east London community after the London 2012 Games.

Olympic Village Overview

The Village, which lies adjacent to the Olympic Park, will create a new neighbourhood for east London including:

New Homes for Londoners

– A complete neighbourhood of 2,818 homes including 1,379 affordable homes
– Family housing with nearly 1,000 three and four bed homes
– New homes spread across 11 residential plots in one of the best connected parts of the capital
– New homes built around private courtyards with car parking
– New homes built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 and designed for modern, sustainable living, with fittings and finishes of the highest standard
– 11 individually designed plots providing neighbourhood character and choice
– Six future development plots with existing outline planning consent and the potential for 2,000 open market homes to be developed, together with retail floor space and associated uses

Spacious living, new parks and open space

– New homes with functional, light spaces and open-plan layouts ranging from studio apartments to 4-bedroom townhouses and 5-bedroom apartments
– A new neighbourhood that spans over 27 hectares of land, equivalent to St James Park, with wide tree lined streets and open public spaces
– More than 10 hectares of new parks and open space interspersed with cycling facilities and recreation spaces
– Landscaped courtyard areas with gardens and play areas for people to relax and enjoy living in London’s newest neighbourhood
– Located next to the 2.5km Olympic Park that will deliver 250 acres of legacy parklands to create the largest urban public park created in the UK for over a century including wetlands, woodlands, wildlife areas and riverside gardens

New community facilities, transport links and amenities

The Village will deliver an established, well-connected neighbourhood supported by new facilities including:
– A world-class education campus Chobham Academy, specialising in the Performing Arts, with 1,800 places for students aged 3-19
– A state-of-the-art Polyclinic with a full range of healthcare services including multiple GP surgeries, outpatient activity, and a children’s clinic
– One of the best connected parts of the capital with Stratford International and Stratford Regional stations offering links to London’s key locations – reach the West End in 20 mins, Canary Wharf in 12 mins, Kings Cross St Pancras in 7 mins and all London airports within an hour
– With over 30 local and independent shops, cafes and bars, the feeling of an established neighbourhood will be created
– Adjacent to the world-class sporting venues of the Olympic Park
– Next door to Stratford City, Europe’s newest and largest shopping centre

A new neighbourhood on track

– Construction work started on the Olympic Village in June 2008 with the first of 11 residential plots completed in March 2011.
– The structure of Chobham Academy education campus is nearing completion, and work is well underway on the state-of-the-art new Polyclinic
– Landscaping work throughout the Village is progressing with the creation of an extensive wetlands park
– The Village is on track for completion in early 2012

22 Feb 2011

Latest aerial photos from the London Olympics site:

images from ODA

17 Nov 2010

London Olympics Village Buildings

Latest aerial photos from the London Olympics site:

Olympic Village
Design: various architects

image from ODA
London 2012 Olympics Village

11 Aug 2009

First Athletes Village Tier One contract awarded as shortlists for more plots are announced

Lend Lease and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have today confirmed the first Tier One residential plot contract on the Athletes Village project in Stratford. This has been awarded to Ardmore.

Meanwhile shortlists for a further three Tier One contracts involving five residential plots have also been announced. The tender lists include the following companies:

– Galliford Try
– Willmott Dixon / Inspace
– Brookfield Europe
– Bennett Construction Limited
– North Midland Construction Plc
– Miller Construction
– Mansell
– Morgan Ashurst
– Durkan Limited
– Byrne Group
– P. Elliott
– Carillion Building
– John Sisk and Son Ltd
– Sir Robert McAlpine
– Higgins Construction

It is anticipated that all Tier 1 contracts for the residential plots at the Athletes Village will be appointed by the end of the year.

London Olympics Stadium

picture from Olympic Delivery Authority

Background:
The ODA and Lend Lease are working together to deliver the Athletes Village with Lend Lease acting as development and project manager. Construction management services are being provided through Lend Lease’s construction business Bovis Lend Lease.
Founded in Australia in 1958, Lend Lease is listed on the Australian and the New Zealand Stock Exchange. Headquartered in Australia, it operates three core businesses: project management and construction, property investment management and property development.

London Olympics Buildings

picture from Olympic Delivery Authority

8 Oct 2008

New Olympic Village designs unveiled as construction work races ahead

The latest legacy designs for the Olympic Village were released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Lend Lease today, together with new images showing the good progress being made on construction work on site.

pictures from Olympic Delivery Authority

Work began in June on the permanent foundations for the first blocks of the Olympic Village. More than 300 construction workers are now on site carrying out piling works – inserting concrete columns into the soil to reinforce the ground where the first blocks of the Olympic Village will sit. Piling works have been completed on the first block of the Olympic Village, with work underway on further blocks.

A selection of leading architects are now in place for all residential plots in the Olympic Village. The latest designs published today show the residential schemes as well as the courtyard areas, pedestrian walkways and new open spaces that will be created in the Olympic Village. Planning permission has recently been secured for the first three residential schemes, with favourable comments received about the high level of architectural quality.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said:
“These new images show the good progress being made in design and construction work on the Olympic Village to help maintain the momentum of this huge project.

“The Olympic Village will be one of the strongest legacies from the Games, delivering quality new homes for Londoners, many of which will be affordable, together with new parks, public squares and community facilities. This will be a world-class development and the involvement of some of Europe’s most talented architects and landscape designers will ensure design excellence continues to play an essential role in the delivery of this project. Discussions on the funding of the Village are continuing and though the economic environment is challenging we expect to conclude these around the turn of the year.”

Lend Lease Europe Chief Executive Dan Labbad said:
“These new images demonstrate the progressive and diverse architecture and design integrity that we have been striving for in developing the village, both as a home for athletes in 2012 and as an iconic sustainable community beyond. The importance of this project is also reflected in the rapid and exciting progress onsite.”

Lend Lease’s contractors have also now completed work to lift into place the first new bridge in the Olympic Village site, marking the first stage in helping to create an open and accessible area in Games-time and legacy. The 44 metre long bridge was lifted in using a 1,000 tonne crane and is the first of three new bridges to be built in total. The bridges will each span the High Meads Loop railway line to connect the new Olympic Village development with the existing housing and communities adjacent to Village site. The bridges will also carry vital services and utilities to the Olympic Village development.

The Olympic Village will accommodate athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. After 2012, it will leave the legacy of new homes, many of which will be affordable, together with new parks, public squares and open space; an Academy education campus for all ages; multi-use community facilities; and new infrastructure to connect the new communities with the Olympic Park, one of the largest new urban parks in Europe for 150 years.

Highly regarded Swiss landscape design firm Vogt Landschaftarchitekten will develop the masterplan for the Village jointly with urban designers Patel Taylor, with continued support from Fletcher Priest. The Olympic Village schemes will be designed by a variety of established and emerging designers including:

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
CF Moller
Denton Corker Marshall
De Rijke Marsh Morgan
DSDHA
Glenn Howells
Ian Simpson
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
MAKE
Niall McLaughlin
Panter Hudspith
Patel Taylor
Piercy Conner

Lend Lease and the Architecture Foundation last year established a shortlist of practices to compete to design elements of the Olympic Village. A number of architectural and landscape design teams have so far been retained by Lend Lease and the ODA to work on different components of the project.

Previously:

London 2012 Olympics Athletes’ Village Consortium

London 2012 Olympics Athletes’ Village Consortium News

Small firms (1-10)
Alison Brooks Architects
Architects in Residence
Block Architecture
Brendeland & Kristofferson Architects (Norway)
Camenzind Evolution (Switzerland)
Cottrell & Vermeulen
Fat
Featherstone Associates
Gianni Botsford Architects
Levitate Architecture & Design
McChesney Architecture
Nissen Adams
Peter Barber Architects
Plasma Studio
Surface
Walter Menteth Architects
Medium firms (11-30)
6a Architects
Amin Taha Architects
Caruso St John Architects
de Rijke Marsh Morgan
DSDHA
Flacq
Haworth Tompkins
Ian Ritchie Architects
Klein Dytham
Munkenbeck & Marshall
Urbanism
Niall McLaughlin Architects
NL Architects
Panter Hudspith Architects
Patel Taylor
Piercy Conner Architects
S333 Architecture & Urbanism
SeARCH (Netherlands)
Sergison Bates Architects
Studio Egret West
Large firms (31+)
CF Moller Architects
Denton Corker Marshall (Australia)
Eric Parry Architects
Feilden Clegg Bradley Architects
Gigon/Guyer Architects (Switzerland)
Glenn Howells Architects
Heneghan Peng Architects (Ireland)
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Penoyre & Prasad
Sauerbruch Hutton (Germany)
Shop Architects (USA)
UN Studio (Netherlands)