Andrew Grant, founder and director of Bath-based landscape architect Grant Associates, is one of ten people selected by the National Infrastructure Commission to form an influential new Design Group.
The Design Group will be champions for design excellence in all new national infrastructure.
They will lobby to ensure that design is considered at the outset of every major project, and at every stage of delivery, to make the most of infrastructure schemes without increasing cost.
Andrew will be promoting the importance of landscape and environmental design as integral parts of major infrastructure schemes, helping to create resilient environments that deliver a better quality of user experience whilst supporting biodiversity and addressing the challenges of climate change.
He will draw on Grant Associates’ substantial experience of designing large-scale landscape architecture strategies for major schemes.
Current projects include Curzon Street railway station for HS2 and a masterplan for Castellana Norte – a new district in northern Madrid.
Professor Sadie Morgan, a National Infrastructure Commissioner and Stirling Prize winner, announced the ten members of the Design Group saying its formation hailed a “pivotal moment” for the future of UK infrastructure.
The first National Infrastructure Assessment, published by the Commission last year, set out the benefits of effective design, highlighting it leads to an outcome that works well while enhancing the quality of life for the communities who experience it every day.
Andrew, along with four other candidates, beat off tough competition to be selected as the inaugural cohort of the pioneering initiative.
This group of five will sit alongside three members of the Commission’s existing expert panel, who informed the design recommendations in the Assessment.
The tenth member of the Group is a representative from the Commission’s Young Professionals Panel who will ensure a strong voice for the next generation.
The experience of the members spans transport, engineering, architecture as well as landscape. The Design Group is expected to meet formally at least four times a year.
Its work will include undertaking research examining the added value that design can bring to infrastructure and developing design principles that could be applied to all nationally significant projects.
Andrew said: “In the context of global actions on climate change, biodiversity loss, human migration and massive urbanisation then I believe landscape planning and design is fundamental to creating a sustainable and resilient built environment, helping to minimise the environmental impact of major projects and delivering a better quality of life for all.
“In my mind our national infrastructure is akin to our life support system and embraces our natural green and blue infrastructure as well as the traditional elements of energy, transport etc.
“It follows that I’m delighted to be appointed to the NIC’s Design Group and will be looking to ensure landscape and ecological design excellence is embedded within the design principles and procurement strategies for future infrastructure projects.”
