The presentation of FSC and PEFC Project Certification by auditors Soil Association Woodmark was hailed as a major achievement and a procurement model for other large-scale projects to follow.
Soil Association Woodmark said the project was a world first for certification of such a huge and complex site. FSC-certified material made up 67% of the 12,500m³ timber products procured, while PEFC accounted for 33%.
It is an outstanding outcome that really shows what can be achieved and it’s a strong platform for the industry to build on,
said Peter Bonfield, leader of construction products at the ODA.
Sustainability was embedded into the ODA’s construction project from the very beginning as one of its six priority themes. With the announcement that the Olympic Park is officially Forest Stewardship Council certified, London 2012 took a giant leap towards achieving its ambition of being the ‘most sustainable games ever’.
More than two-thirds of all wood used in the Olympic Park’s construction is FSC certified. Two excellent examples of how the ODA successfully used the FSC process include the development of the Olympic Village and Velodrome. Village developers used the certification process to ensure that they achieved the desired Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM assessments, providing evidence that the timber comes from legally compliant, responsibly-managed forests.
The iconic Velodrome, the first Olympic Park venue to be completed, has a striking outer cladding which uses 5,000 square metres of western red cedar timber. At the heart of the Velodrome is the 250 metre long FSC-certified Siberian pine track.
This represented a tremendous commitment by the ODA to ensuring that the wood that it uses comes from forests that are responsibly managed.
ODA Principal Sustainability Manager Holly Knight said,
We started working with the FSC early in the design process to ensure we had the right systems in place to deliver homes and venues on the Olympic Park that are truly sustainable. On such a complicated site it took lots of dedicated people to make sure we received certification for 100% legal and sustainable timber. FSC’s contribution forms a major part of this achievement.
Find out more about the range of sustainability measures employed by the ODA by downloading the learning legacy reports below.
The Olympic Park is certified under FSC project certificate FSC-P001512. The Athletes’ Village is certified under FSC project certificate FSC-P001512.