An interview with Tom Smith who worked on the Masterplan for AECOM from before the bid was won up to delivering the Park for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The interview focuses on his role as one of the Masterplan Team. This is the second of a series of ten interviews on the role of Landscape Architects in the Olympic Games. To find out more visit: http://www.landscapeinstitute.org/olympics Clarifications: Mentions of LDA refer to the LDA Design/Hargreaves Associates Partnership and not the London Development Authority. 98% of the large trees used were supplied by Hilliers from their Hampshire nursery. Use the links below to skip to a specific question: 0:14 How did you get involved with the Olympic Project? 0:56 Who was in your consortium team? 1:28 Once you had won the competition, what happened next? 3:30 How much of your original masterplan related to the regeneration of East London? 3:55 What form of contract was used and how did it perform? 4:38 Who did you submit the planning application to? 5:19 How was the competition structured? 6:12 How did the consortium develop once you started work? 7:39 Why did you decide to submit the planning application before London had won the bid? 9:18 Describe your involvement at each stage of the project. 11:48 What kind of Brief did you have? 13:47 Was anything particularly difficult to accommodate? 15:20 To what extent does the masterplan reflect the history of the site? 16:30 What was your involvement once the design started to go into further detail? 17:38 How did your work fit with what LDA were doing? 18:39 How long did the masterplan process last? 18:57 How and why does the Park layout differ from the original masterplan? 20:38 How did security issues affect the masterplan? 22:03 How do the security issues change as the Park moves into legacy mode? 22:57 What innovations were applied in the masterplan? 25:04 What was the biggest challenge you faced? 27:21 What was your biggest achievement on site? 32:31 As a Landscape Architect, what did you bring to the masterplan team? 33:49 What key lessons should other Landscape Professionals take from this project? 34:43 What key lessons should be taken from London for use in future bids? 35:59 What are your hopes for the Park in five years time? 38:10 What did Landscape Architects bring to the project? 39:33 Now that you have seen it built, how do you feel about the project? 40:05 What is your involvement in the Rio Olympics? 41:07 How is the project going in Rio? 41:48 What lessons from London have been used in Rio? 45:30 What influences the spaces needed around venues? 46:18 Is there anything you would have done differently?

• published: 12 Oct 2012
• views: 1802