{"id":733613,"date":"2024-03-11T07:32:42","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T07:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=733613"},"modified":"2024-04-03T15:20:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T14:20:04","slug":"design-leadership-should-start-from-school-infrastructure-chief-tells-aj100-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/design-leadership-should-start-from-school-infrastructure-chief-tells-aj100-lunch","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Design leadership should start from school,\u2019 infrastructure chief tells AJ100 lunch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sir John Armitt is also chair of the National Express Group and City & Guilds, deputy chair of the Berkeley Group, and senior vice president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking at an AJ100 Club lunch in King\u2019s Cross last Thursday (7 March), Armitt spoke out about major issues facing the industry, including UK design leadership, decarbonising housing, and the sluggish planning system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Asked \u2018what is national leadership on design?\u2019 during a post-speech Q&A, Armitt insisted good leadership \u2018should start from school\u2019, with children \u2018being enabled to have an appreciation of design\u2019 and \u2018being shown what is good and what is [just] adequate\u2019 in design.<\/p>\n

Citing Zaha Hadid Architects’ 2012 Olympic swimming pool as an example, Armitt said the design team \u2018could have built a big tin shed for less cost\u2019, but instead were able to deliver \u2018a legacy, something to be proud of, something to feel inspired by\u2019. Armitt, who chaired the Olympic Delivery Authority,<\/span><\/span> added: \u2018Challenging buildings do have challenging costs.\u2019<\/p>\n

Responding to a question about whether the country should introduce a national body to lead on design, Armitt insisted: \u2018I am always loathe to create new institutions. We always create new ones and never get rid of the old ones. I am all for taskforces, which start, do the job, then get wound up.\u2019<\/p>\n

Earlier in his speech, Armitt had addressed the huge challenge of decarbonisation across the UK and the roll-out of heat pumps, asking: \u2018How do you get 25 million houses off natural gas?\u2019<\/p>\n

He concluded: \u2018We will not do this without significant financial support … all social housing should have the full capital costs met by the government [through] a certain tax and grant [scheme], and on top of that zero financing from the bank.\u2019<\/p>\n

Armitt explained: \u2018You’ve just got to have the will, recognition that it\u2019s going to cost and then a proper delivery plan.\u2019<\/p>\n

The NIC chair also recommended a planning overhaul, explaining: \u2018Talk to investors at the moment and they will say that the biggest obstacle to projects in the UK \u2013 particularly large projects \u2013 is the planning system.\u2019<\/p>\n

Armitt cited a 2023 report carried out by NIC<\/a> for the government, which found that the current system, introduced in 2008, \u2018initially worked well\u2019 but that since 2012 \u2018consenting times have increased by 65 per cent, moving from 2.6 to 4.2 years\u2019.<\/p>\n

The report put the decelerating system down to National Policy Statements not being updated or supplemented, meaning the Planning Inspectorate\u2019s role \u2018has shifted from that of inquisitor to that of arbiter, having to determine the meaning of old and sometimes subjective guidance\u2019.<\/p>\n

It concluded that \u2018inefficiencies and uncertainties in the system\u2019s approach to the environment\u2019 had also slowed down consent times and reduced the quality of design.<\/p>\n

Armitt told the AJ100 lunch: \u2018The government has got to make a decision as to whether it is going to develop the country with local interest prevailing, or national interest. As long as they have the current planning system, local interest will prevail.\u2019<\/p>\n

The NIC chair, who in October described prime minister Rishi Sunak\u2019s decision to scrap HS2 as \u2018deeply disappointing\u2019,<\/a> also stressed the importance of strong urban transport links, led with \u2018real strategic direction\u2019 to enable housing development and create jobs and places where people want to invest.<\/p>\n

The AJ100 lunch, held at the Lighterman in King’s Cross, was hosted by AJ managing editor Will Hurst and supported by AJ100 headline partner Roca and programme sponsors\u00a0MSA Safety and\u00a0Schl\u00fcter-Systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sir John Armitt is also chair of the National Express Group and City & Guilds, deputy chair of the Berkeley Group, and senior vice president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Speaking at an AJ100 Club lunch in King\u2019s Cross last Thursday (7 March), Armitt spoke out about major issues facing the industry, including …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138919,"featured_media":733669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[4064,1795,3669,1489],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Design leadership should start from school,\u2019 infrastructure chief tells AJ100 lunch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has said UK design leadership \u2018should start from school\u2019, with students being shown the difference between good and bad design from a young age\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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