Mission critical: designing
Delhi’s overlay
This article first appeared in the December 2009 issue
Samantha Cotterell of Designsport has been appointed expert overlay advisor to Delhi 2010. And not a moment too soon
“Delhi will be ready on time, there is no question of that,” the Indian High Commission’s economic minister, Anil Verma, assures Host City. “But the Organising Committee (OC) suffers from a public relations problem.”
Indira Gandhi Gymnastics Hall in February 2009 (Picture: Samantha Cotterell)
Samantha Cotterell, expert overlay advisor to the Delhi 2010 OC, says: “There is cause for concern, but all host cities face controversial times and most call on experts to assist in their preparations. A lot of the media hype surrounding Delhi 2010 needs to happen if the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is not satisfied with the level of preparation at this stage. However, to think that India is not capable of delivering these Games would be to undermine both the CGF’s authority and the extraordinary country that is India.”
Cotterell was senior overlay designer architect in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games OC. She recalls: “At the start of the Opening Ceremony, a Greek workman came into the middle of the stadium with a hammer to put the last nail the floor to make a joke of all the media hype concerning the lack of preparation. The show was outstanding and the Athens Olympic Games set a standard to which the industry still aspires.”
Delhi’s delays are typical of a similar culture in India, that of leaving things until the last minute. Cotterell says: “The apparent lack of organization is part of the charm and wealth of India’s culture. India is aware of the task at hand and intends to succeed, conscious of how much their potential to host an Asian Games or Olympic Games rests on the success of these Commonwealth Games.”
Nonetheless, Delhi’s bad press was almost enough to deter Cotterell’s team at Designsport from taking on the project. “Initially, we were not intending to get involved because we’d heard so many negative reports. Normally, from design to delivery of overlay takes about three years, but in February 2009, with just 18 months to go, still nothing had been done.”
The time pressure was so intense that the organisers opted to go directly to the market leaders to seek advice. “If the planning phase is compromised, the only way overlay design can be achieved is by engaging experts who understand the magnitude and complexities of the task.”
As time ran short, the Delhi OC courted Designsport, who proposed that they could assist, as long as 15 local architects were recruited to form a local overlay design team. Designsport would mentor the team to take ownership of its games and operations, thus leaving a legacy for India. This proposal was accepted. “Previous event experience is a key element in resolving operational procedures and this enabled me to propose a successful solution,” says Cotterell.
Cotterell, who had undergone a similar exercise for 39 competition venues in her role as head of overlay design for the Doha 2006 Asian Games OC, proceeded to train the local overlay architects in the operational and overlay design of the venues.
Designsport didn’t have time to do an initial consultation with stakeholders as there wasn’t enough representation of each functional area within the OC. The local architects, under the supervision of the Designsport team, have now been put in charge of meeting all major stakeholders including international sporting federations, broadcasters, venue owners and government to validate the work and proceed to the next stages of overlay preparation.
“An overlay architect has 30 to 40 clients simultaneously; it is necessary to understand all their requirements and idiosyncrasies and to coordinate them to solve one large puzzle. It is like conducting an orchestra: each instrument plays its own role but as part of a one symphony,” says Cotterell.
London calling?
Could Designsport help deliver London 2012’s exciting overlay project? Cotterell says: “I am confident Designsport could contribute. The Designsport Team are highly motivated professional architects and sports specialists originating from Olympic Organising Committees and other major event client bodies. We distinguish ourselves for a unique combination of client-based experience, working knowledge of major international event operations and specialised technical know-how and expertise.”
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