London Olympics organisers must be educated on the wider benefits of timber construction methods if it is to feature in Games developments, top Canadian structural engineer Gerry Epp has told TTJ.
Mr Epp, whose firm Fast + Epp Structural Engineers engineered the stunning Richmond Oval speed skating venue for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, gave his insight amid industry concern that timber could lose out as a structural material in London Games venues.
Steel has already been selected for the Aquatic Centre and Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chiefs are rumoured to be favouring steel for the velodrome.
Mr Epp, who was in London for an architecture exhibition, said timber could not win on cost efficiency grounds.
“The cheapest way to cross a big span is steel anywhere in the western world. If you want an elegant timber structure there is a premium to be paid. There has to be a desire for it.
“If you are going to get into bottom-line driven thinking, it’s not worth it. Do we really want to descend to that? We have to take the high ground and promote the advantages of our product, like a high-spec BMW or Audi, if we want to win the architects.”
“What we find in order to be successful in getting some of these uniques wood structures built, is we have to go the client and fix a price at the front end. We take the risk from them. It’s a form of design-build that has been our model.”
Mr Epp has a unique perspective in also running a timber building firm StructureCraft, responsible for the Richmond Oval’s massive timber roof structure.
At a recent RIBA seminar called “Sustainable Olympics”, Mr Epp told ODA sustainability chief Dan Epstein that his firm would be interested in taking on a London 2012 Olympics venue.
