The final two major structures being built to bring HS2 into Birmingham have been approved by local councils - marking another significant milestone for the project.
Approval has been granted for the design of two new viaducts, meaning eight “Key Design Elements” (KDEs) on the West Midlands section of the route have now passed the Schedule 17 process.
HS2 has announced the public’s preferred design options for a landmark HS2 viaduct near Solihull after a vote by people in Balsall Common. Earlier this year, design options for the appearance and patterning of Balsall Common viaduct’s acoustic parapets, and the landscape around the structure, were presented to the local community. HS2 committed to this further engagement to fulfil a condition following planning approval for the viaduct in September 2023 by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
Ten years ago, when we woke up to the realisation that we are hindering mother nature in her quest to regulate the planet, our multilateral response, was the Paris Climate Agreement with commitment to an overarching goal “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C”. In turn, the built environment responded with colourful roadmaps to net zero, but with zero implementation governance, greenwash ran amok, and in the interim, little headway made. Last month, with commitments unfulfilled, the BBC reported the “World’s first year-long breach of key 1.5°C warming limit”.
Options for the appearance of Balsall Common Viaduct in the West Midlands go on display at community events on 18 and 25 January
Local people will vote on colour, finish, and pattern designs as well as landscape plans
We are delighted to welcome Rob Buckley as our new Global Head of Sustainability.
We are honoured to have been awarded the prestigious Prix Versailles World Title for Paddington Elizabeth Line Station, with our Perth Airport Central project, a collaboration with GHD Design, picking up the Special Prize for Exterior. This recognition bookends what has been an amazing year for our projects across the globe, and the awards are testament to our hardworking international studio.
As we reach the end of the year it is a good time to reflect on 2023 and the significant milestones we have achieved:
This year we have taken a different approach to our London studio Christmas Tree. Lead by our model-making and digital teams we have designed and built a sustainable paper Christmas tree! Building on the tools and techniques we employ in our projects; this year’s Christmas tree has been a true collaborative effort, with over 100 people taking part in its design and construction.
Our station at Barking Riverside was commended in the Building Beauty Awards this month. The judges were impressed by the elegance and discipline of the design, citing the distinct Corten facade as a spectacle for the users.
We have completed a major refurbishment of one of the jewels of the UK’s diplomatic crown – the British Embassy in Paris.
In a recent feature for La Revue Travaux Director, Nick McGough describes how the involvement of an architect within a civil engineering project can help elevate infrastructure projects beyond a purely functional engineering approach to one that delivers longer term social value and leaves an ongoing positive legacy. This is illustrated utilising various structures along the HS2 route giving a broad overview of the challenges and opportunities a project of this scale and complexity presents and how a wholistic design-led approach can be implemented.
HS2 has incorporated feedback from the local community in its new designs for the Saltley Viaduct in Birmingham, which will take the B4114 over the HS2 railway line, the Grand Union Canal, the Birmingham and Derby rail line and the River Rea.
We have completed a new residential development in Peckham for Southwark Council, delivering 109 new homes for social rent and shared ownership, alongside significant improvements to the public realm on the North Peckham Estate. The development is the latest in a series of new housing developments within the Council’s ambitious development programme which is building thousands of new council homes across the borough.
At WW+P we are committed to delivering sustainable infrastructure that is vital to support economic growth. We are therefore disappointed with the recent news that the UK Government is considering halting HS2 at Birmingham and not delivering the vital link to Manchester, or to Euston.
We are proud to say Yes to the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart for a First Nations Voice to Parliament.
Byford residents have been given their first look at the suburb’s new METRONET Station.
The new station is part of the METRONET Byford Rail Extension, which will connect Byford, one of the fastest growing suburbs in the country, to Perth CBD in just 42 minutes.
At its Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, 6 September, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council approved HS2’s plans for the Balsall Common Viaduct. The plans incorporate local feedback focusing on environmental sustainability, landscape integration, visual connectivity and public access.
Leaders of the design team behind the Metro Tunnel’s state-of-the-art stations have spoken about the challenges of designing a major train station to sit next to one of Melbourne’s most important historical monuments – the Shrine of Remembrance.
An eco-friendly road bridge over the HS2 line in Birmingham has been approved by planners, with new designs ensuring the structure blends sympathetically with the local environment.
The 2023 AJ Awards shortlist has been announced and we are very proud to be part of the awards with two projects. We are finalists with Barking Riverside and Paddington Elizabeth Line Station both in the Infrastructure and Transport Project category!
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) shortlist has been announced and we are very proud to be part of the 2023 festival with two projects. We are finalists with both the Metro Tunnel Project in the Future Projects Infrastructure category, and Woolwich Elizabeth Line Station in Completed Buildings Transport category.
We are delighted to announce we have a second project on the World Architecture Festival (WAF) shortlist this year as part of the 2023 festival; with Woolwich Elizabeth Line Station featuring in the Completed Buildings: Transport category.
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) shortlist has been announced and we are very proud to be part of the 2023 festival with Metro Tunnel Project in the Future Projects Infrastructure category. Currently under construction, twin nine-kilometre tunnels and five new underground stations will connect Melbourne’s northwest and southeast districts, transforming the way people move around the city and improve access to key landmarks and destinations.
How can we help?
Please get in touch if you’d like to know more about us and how we work with our clients, consultants and colleagues.