Welcome to this special issue of Civil Engineering. As the first special issue of the new millennium, it seemed fitting to devote this journal to the building of the UK's official millennium celebration. This is a project close to my heart, partly because I live on the Greenwich peninsula, but also because it demonstrates the confidence of the UK as a whole and the increasing emphasis of the UK construction sector on high quality and more sustainable products. As such, it should be regarded as a showcase for all our efforts, providing a high profile demonstration of the positive contribution of the construction industry to society. The fuss about the content of the Dome should not detract from the enormous achievement of the peninsula redevelopment which, I believe, will come to be seen as a model for future brown field site recovery.
The Greenwich peninsula that I grew up with was a bleak and unwelcoming place, cut off from the rest of Greenwich. This is a theme explored by David McCollum in his opening paper on the legacy for Greenwich flowing from the millennium celebration. The efforts of Greenwich Council and others to secure a lasting legacy for the people of Greenwich are described, setting out the strategy employed to secure the celebration and mould it into something of benefit to the rest of the borough.
The masterplanning of the peninsula is described by Mike Davies, who sets out the architect's response to the strictures laid down by Greenwich Council and the sponsoring bodies. Describing work undertaken in parallel with the masterplanning, George Jamieson sets out the transport planning undertaken to ensure maximum value could be wrung from the remediation of this heavily contaminated site, with minimum negative impact on already over-stretched transport infrastructure. The range of solutions employed is awesome and provides a challenge for all those involved in moving large numbers of people to inaccessible sites.
Simon Wright describes the management of the project and the measures employed to deliver a £185 million project on time and budget. Simon's paper describes the simple but effective approach of managing cost and time risks in an open and transparent fashion, demonstrating how a project of this scale can be brought in using traditional forms of contracts in a spirit of co-operation.
The work to remediate the former gas works are described by David Barry, Jonathan Steeds and Alan Micklam, who demonstrate the variety of approaches, both high and low tech, necessary to treat contamination on this scale economically. The development of the infrastructure for the Dome, village and other associated sites is described by Alan Micklam, John Gibbins, Geoffrey Collins and Martin Lass. These works represent at least four projects of significant complexity.
The renewal of the 2 km of river wall is described by Alan Micklam, John Gibbins, Steven Proctor and Alison Braham in a shining example of how river engineering can be used to benefit the riparian environment. This project was used by the Environment Agency to develop new approaches to treating urban riversides and the ideas used here will, I hope, lead to further innovation, setting a standard for successor projects.
A pair of papers describe the design and construction of the Millennium Dome, providing a fitting show stopper for this landmark structure. Covering the design, Ian Liddell, Tony McLaughlin, Tanya Ross and Justin Phillips describe the engineering of the canopy and foundations, the problems associated with the Blackwall tunnel air vent and give an overview of the building services. The construction is covered by Bernard Ainsworth, who gives an entertaining account of what must have been one of the most stressful projects in the country in 1999.
Finally, we dive into the detail for a paper on the recycling of water in the Dome by Benjamin Lodge, Tim Seager, Thomas Stephenson, Peter English and Roger Ford. Describing the three systems used to supply water to toilets and urinals, this paper demonstrates the use of available technologies to provide an effective and robust source of raw water.
The key theme running through all of the papers is one of sustainability: reuse of a brown field site, minimum impact on existing fabric, providing a catalyst for rejuvenation, sensible use of resources, cost-effective procurement, responsible river engineering and recycling of water. The authors indicate areas where more time would have allowed them to explore further areas for sustainable benefit, and this provides pointers for the future. The project showcases some the best in UK construction and it is a project that we must hold up as an example of the industry's benefit to society in the widest sense.
All contributors and referees should be congratulated on working towards what I hope you will agree is a fascinating and inspiring special issue. Please note that the papers will be presented at an ICE meeting in London in the summer (contact Lesley Wilson on 020 7665 2242 for details) and that written discussion contributions should be received by 31 August 2000.
