Sustainability lessons 'can be learnt from Olympics'

Office design news from Morgan Lovell

Published on 20-05-2011

UK companies can learn valuable lessons from the construction of the Olympic Velodrome for next year's London 2012 Olympic Games, it has been claimed.

Shaun McCarthy, chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, said by using less material in the construction process, the developers have created fewer emissions resulting in a greener build all round, something that sustainable office design developers should take note of.

He commented: "As we build more and more efficient buildings within the built environment, we are finding ourselves with a legacy of embodied carbon in construction."

According to Adrian Penfold, head of planning and corporate responsibility at British Land, the use of existing technology can be ideal for businesses to improve their green credentials.

He argued that a "huge amount" can be achieved at present, but the government needs to provide clearer guidelines as to what is expected of firms in terms of their green commitments.

Posted by Ian Johnson