The UK has been at the forefront of infrastructure development from the age of steam. Yet references to our glorious past can feel like a millstone now; the vision and brilliance of Brunel haunts us as much as it inspires.
We have had to contend not just with under-investment and the legacy of an antiquated infrastructure, but a stuck-in-the-mud mentality to go with it. With an exhausting bureaucratic system, it is all too easy to choose the path of least resistance, with results that are at best a compromise and at worst wishy-washy. As for good design, forget it. People think they don’t have the time or the money for it.
Why aren’t we delivering clever, cost-effective solutions to big projects? And if we do, why can’t they look and feel good? Ironically, the truth is: we do, we are and we can.
Name any of the world’s most pioneering work in infrastructure and you will find British talent involved – not just rail, road and aviation but IT, energy and engineering.
The UK consistently nurtures some of the best technical and architectural minds in the world, and we still have both the maverick brilliance and the skills to imagine and design a better future. It is just that much of that work has been taking place elsewhere and, as a result, we have let some of our talent go – not wilfully, but through our neglect of opportunities to make them stay.
But the good news is that we seem to be pulling ourselves out of our inertia and instilling an ethos of good design that will begin to shape our future for the better with projects such as Crossrail and HS2.
We are starting to grasp that infrastructure is not just about the physical: it is about our attitude to the world, our place in it and how that is embodied in the things we build. Reimagining our infrastructure is one of the greatest opportunities we have to move resolutely towards a better future, and to put a healthier, more compassionate and greener philosophy in place.
It has become increasingly evident to me that many large organisations, businesses and even policy makers just don’t have the skills to think like that. With such huge pressures to deliver on time and to budget, it is easy to take that well trodden road of least resistance.
Only with a collective effort can such opportunities be pushed through. As we move into a year where infrastructure and big projects are the buzzwords, let’s make sure that a sense of imagination – and great design – is embedded from the get go. There is a huge willingness and ability within the design industry to help make this happen, but it will only do so with a collective vision and the belief, written into the DNA of every project, that design makes the difference.
We need to get back on the front foot and make sure that from procurement through to delivery, design is not sidelined. It is possible to recapture the spirit of the past and combine it with the best of our imaginative talent and design excellence today. As an industry, it is time to assert our combined talents, reclaim the infrastructure initiative and help the UK get its mojo back.
Sadie Morgan is a partner at dRMM Architects and design chair for HS2
