LOCOG appoints Atkins as official engineering design services provider

The contract will see Atkins working with LOCOG to support the delivery of the competition venues, operation centres and back of house support required for the Games.  This will include building services design, civil and structural engineering, acoustics, fire and accessibility advice for London 2012’s venues including those at Horse Guards Parade, Greenwich Park and Hyde Park in London, St James’ Park in Newcastle, Hampden Park in Glasgow, Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, as well as those on the Olympic Park itself.

Atkins has been part of the design team for the Olympic Park site-wide infrastructure since late 2005, working with partners to deliver a range of services including aspects of the clearing and cleaning of the site, infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities and environmental and ecological support.

LOCOG chairman Lord Coe said: “We are now at the half-way point between winning the bid and staging the Games and the appointment of Atkins is a real sign that the project is developing at a rapid pace and that we are well on track.  Atkins is a world class player in this field, with a fantastic record of working on major projects.  They know the project inside out and will be a valuable partner on the road to 2012.”

Keith Clarke, chief executive of Atkins, said: "Having worked on the development since 2006, Atkins has the proven breadth and depth of technical excellence and project management experience to deliver such a major project .

“Helping to deliver the temporary facilities is a truly exciting project, which demands the ability to bring certainty and security to a unique set of challenges. It is just the type of project our people thrive on.”

Having secured the contract, Atkins will also have the rights to use the designation as Official Engineering Design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in its marketing materials.

Interviews with Atkins' chief executive Keith Clarke and the temporary venues team can be found at: http://www.nce.co.uk/London_2012_Olympics/atkins2012.html