Project: Thames Hub
Designed by Foster + Partners, Halcrow & Volterra
Location: United Kingdom
Website: www.fosterandpartners.com, www.halcrow.com & www.volterra.co.uk
Thames Hub is a massive infrastructure project designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with Halcrow & Volterra. For more of the project continue after the jump:
“If we are to establish a modern transport and energy infrastructure in Britain for this century and beyond, we need to recapture the foresight and political courage of our 19th century forebears and draw on our traditions of engineering, design and landscape. If we don’t then we are denying future generations to come. We are rolling over and saying we are no longer competitive – and this is a competitive world. So I do not believe we have a choice.” – Norman Foster.
Proposed transportation infrastructure includes a four-track, high-speed passenger and freight Orbital Rail that will link London’s radial lines, a high-speed rail line to the Midlands and the North, the Thames Estuary ports, High Speed 1 (Channel Tunnel to London), and European networks.
The Estuary Airport will handle 150 million passengers per annum and retain the UK’s global aviation hub status. The logistics matrix integrated within the airport connects the Thames Estuary Ports and the ports of Liverpool, Southampton and Felixstowe.
The comprehensive environmental management strategy minimizes the impact of development and provides opportunities for new wildlife habitats while reducing pressure on foreshore habitats from rising sea levels and storm activity.
“As infrastructure specialists, our role is to support society by taking on the big issues that affect us all – water, transportation, energy, and creating places to live and work. Great challenges require bold solutions, which is why I believe our Thames Hub vision is critical to society and to the country’s economic prosperity. If we don’t sustain and invest in infrastructure, then it’s at our peril. If the UK is to remain globally competitive, these proposals need to be seriously considered.” – David Kerr.
Source ArchDaily. *
