The architectural and structural design firms and individuals who helped to shape the 2012 Games legacy have been celebrated in the short film Designing for Champions.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and New London Architecture (NLA) initiated the DROPTHEBAN campaign and commissioned the ‘Designing for Champions’ film to advocate many of the Games’ unsung heroes.

The DROPTHEBAN campaign which launched in July 2012 called for the lifting of a marketing ban that prevented many firms from promoting their work on the London 2012 Olympics. The campaign emphasised the frustration felt by those left ‘gagged’ by the barriers holding back a tremendous opportunity to showcase their contribution.

Designing for Champions was mainly filmed on location at the Olympic Park in September 2012 during the Paralympic Games and highlights one permanent and five temporary buildings and interviews their architects, structural engineers and designers.
Highlights include: The Cauldron by Thomas Heatherwick; Beatbox by Asif Khan architect; Acoustic Stage by Jason Flanagan; Basketball Arena by Jim Eyre of Wilkinson Eyre Architects; and London 2012 Velodrome with Mike Taylor Architect of Hopkins Architects.

RIBA President Angela Brady said: “I am delighted that we were able to access the Olympic Park site to make this film and to shout about the amazing contribution made by so many architects, structural engineers and design teams which created the most memorable, innovative and sustainable Olympics to date.

“The majority of the architects, structural engineers and designers featured in the film were gagged by a ridiculous marketing ban preventing them from promoting their work, and only recently lifted by the government six months after the Games started. I am delighted this film gives many key people the recognition they deserve.”