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topic in our newly found digital age, but
even in the world of virtual reality there is
an ever growing need for cities, buildings and
the movement of people between them – by
cars, planes and trains.
The quest for quality is a reminder of
that tradition – not just the actual manufac-
ture but the initial conception and its later
appreciation. To explain the importance of
a personal approach to design, I tend to
repeat the mantra that “quality is an atti-
tude of mind”. In the creation of a building
there are three resources: money, time and
creative energy. It is always the creative
element that determines the quality of the
end product, never the amount of money
or time. Some of the best buildings in the
world have been achieved in record time,
and often on shoestring budgets. Some of the
worst have taken forever and cost a fortune.
That is not to deny the wisdom of invest-
ing wisely in more enduring materials and
craftsmanship. Paying more to do something
well once, without having to take it to pieces
and try again (and sometimes yet again), is,
in the end, sound economics. It is the same
in aviation, where “the price of safety is
constant vigilance” – nothing can be taken
for granted, everything is to be questioned.
Continuing this theme, there is a direct link
between questioning and innovation. So for
me the most interesting projects are those
where we have challenged preconceptions.
For example, before our bank headquarters
in Hong Kong, every skyscraper was a rib-
bon of space around a solid central core. I
challenged this and consequently reinvented
the tall building by fragmenting the core and
displacing the smaller bits to the edges of a
clear open space, from which you could look
out in all directions. This created a much
better place to work, to uplift the spirits of
everyone in the building.
The Hong Kong project was born in the
same decade – the 1970s – as our Willis
Faber building in Ipswich. The innovations
in that design similarly raised social levels,
as well as the flexibility to accommodate
the new digital technology without having
to resort to a new programme of building.
The story of London’s third airport at
Stansted is a similar one of innovation or
reinvention. In the quest for a new genera-
tion terminal we literally turned the previ-
ous model upside down to create a radical
alternative which has since become the norm
and been adopted by other airport planners
and designers worldwide. It seeks to bring
back the joy and romance of air travel as well
as improving the efficiency of its operation.
I could give you other examples from our
body of work which are revolutionary, al-
though most of our projects could be termed
evolutionary. In other words, they build on
our earlier pioneering projects or they are
further developments of an otherwise exist-
ing model. Beijing Airport is a good example
at an epic and celebratory scale, made pos-
sible by Stansted and the interim achieve-
ments of Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok.
In response to your question, I could also
demonstrate links from my student interests
in the anonymous traditions in architecture
to the present day – our recent works in
places as far removed as the vineyards of
Bordeaux, the Arabian Desert, Africa and
even outer space. All of these examples are
rooted in improving the conditions of today,
but pushing the boundaries of the possible
to serve the needs of the future. This as a
journey is surely important?
«It is always the
creative element that
determines the quality
of the end product,
never the amount of
money or time»
