{"id":60069,"date":"2015-08-06T08:15:10","date_gmt":"2015-08-06T08:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=1904b66ed7dd24363bf3813ef212e236"},"modified":"2015-08-06T08:15:10","modified_gmt":"2015-08-06T08:15:10","slug":"speech-three-principles-for-designing-hs2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=60069","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Three principles for designing HS2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It\u2019s great to see so many here today (23 July 2015).<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t often get design opportunities like HS2<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

When we begin construction in 2 years\u2019 time, we\u2019ll be embarking on one of the biggest infrastructure projects Britain has ever seen.<\/p>\n

With 350 miles of track.<\/p>\n

New tunnels, bridges and viaducts.<\/p>\n

Fantastic new stations.<\/p>\n

And a new fleet of state-of-the-art high speed trains.<\/p>\n

Our railways have always been a canvas for design.<\/p>\n

Some of it stunning.<\/p>\n

Some of it less so.<\/p>\n

The Victorians built their stations as landmarks.<\/p>\n

Exhibition halls for the new technology of the train.<\/p>\n

A century later, as the railway faced increased competition from cars and planes, British Rail redesigned Euston to look like an airport departure lounge, with the trains deliberately hidden from view.<\/p>\n

But things have moved on.<\/p>\n

Once again the railways are inspiring brilliant, confident, ground-breaking design.<\/p>\n

You can see it at Kings Cross.<\/p>\n

St Pancras.<\/p>\n

Manchester Victoria.<\/p>\n

Birmingham New Street.<\/p>\n

And Crossrail, which will set new standards for urban design.<\/p>\n

With your help, we will see it in HS2<\/abbr>. <\/p>\n

Because HS2<\/abbr> will define our time.<\/p>\n

Just as the stations, tunnels and bridges of the Great Western Main Line define Brunel\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

A year ago, David Kester and I held a design workshop.<\/p>\n

We decided on 3 clear principles<\/a> that will govern the way we design HS2<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

First, the principle of people.<\/p>\n

Everything about HS2<\/abbr> must work well for the people who use it and live near it.<\/p>\n

It must be supremely functional.<\/p>\n

But also something people can be proud of.<\/p>\n

Our second principle is that of place.<\/p>\n

HS2<\/abbr> must bring economic regeneration to the places it serves, while also reflecting their distinctive characteristics.<\/p>\n

When George Gilbert Scott designed the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras, the materials and handiwork came from the Midlands.<\/p>\n

So it stands as a tribute to the region\u2019s industry and enterprise.<\/p>\n

We will have our own ideas today.<\/p>\n

But one thing\u2019s certain.<\/p>\n

HS2<\/abbr> will not look like it could have been designed anywhere, and built in any city. <\/p>\n

It will be distinctive. <\/p>\n

Rooted in the places it serves.<\/p>\n

Our third principle is that of time.<\/p>\n

HS2<\/abbr>\u2019s design must endure, become part of the fabric of the country.<\/p>\n

In design, short-termism is costly.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of mistakes on the rail network we can learn from.<\/p>\n

The dark spaces of the old Birmingham New Street station.<\/p>\n

The green canopy that for decades blighted the front of Kings Cross.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason why much of our Victorian infrastructure is still standing.<\/p>\n

While the design disasters of the 1960s and \u201870s are being torn down.<\/p>\n

So we will design HS2<\/abbr> once.<\/p>\n

And we will get it right.<\/p>\n

That means anticipating how HS2<\/abbr> will be used in future.<\/p>\n

How new technology will shape the way we travel.<\/p>\n

How passenger numbers and expectations will grow.<\/p>\n

Those are our principles \u2013 people, place and time.<\/p>\n

And I am delighted that Sadie Morgan has agreed to chair our independent design panel.<\/p>\n

The panel will act as the project\u2019s critical friend.<\/p>\n

Challenging, encouraging and inspiring.<\/p>\n

Sadie will soon appoint the panel\u2019s members<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Including \u2013 I hope \u2013 some of you here today.<\/p>\n

By the time HS2<\/abbr> is finished, the Victorian railways it will relieve will be nearly 200 years old.<\/p>\n

We can expect HS2<\/abbr> to last as those lines have lasted.<\/p>\n

And to shape our country as those lines have.<\/p>\n

But to achieve that we need your help, your creativity, your vision.<\/p>\n

So we can build a railway of which the country will be proud.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HS2’s design must work for the people who will use it, for the cities it will serve, and for the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60069"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60069\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}