Whatever your politics and whatever you may think of the man as a person, you have to admire Tony Blair’s stamina.
Juggling promoting London’s Olympic bid and playing host to the G8 summit all in the space of a few days has undoubtedly required a huge amount of energy. Just reading about it has left me feeling quite exhausted.
As TTJ goes to press the news has broken that the first of Mr Blair’s missions this week has been successful. At 12:49 BST it was announced that London had secured the right to host the 2012 games and, if the PM is to be believed, work will begin “within 48 hours”.
Jokes about securing the services of a builder at such short notice aside, the Olympics are bound to bring a host of opportunities – as well as inevitable challenges – to the construction industry. Thousands of contracts, large and small, will be up for grabs during the next seven years – just think of all the timber flooring in the velodrome, for example – and while timber may not be the first choice in all cases, it has to be in with a shout.
The government has already shown its support for modern methods of construction and the more proactive timber building system companies are positioning themselves to benefit. While the emphasis to date has been on meeting the shortfall of new housing, as Kevin Scobell of OFFSITE2005 co-organiser SmartLIFE says, commercial projects worth billions of pounds are also in the frame.
News of the Olympic success will also have given timber companies exhibiting at next year’s Interbuild something extra to chew on. The 2006 event will feature a new Timber Zone which is being backed by TRADA. The association hopes its involvement will help increase the number of architects and engineers visiting the area.
If they like what they see, the potential for timber, not just for construction, but for the whole industry, is enormous.
