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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Thames Hub proposal to Airports Commission by Foster + PartnersJuly 21st, 2013 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Foster + Partners The Thames Hub Airport is a bold and deliverable vision, not just to maintain the UK’s global aviation hub status, but to significantly enhance that status. The airport will be a sustainable economic resource, which will reinforce London’s position as the world’s global city, transform the Thames Gateway and help to secure prosperity for people and businesses across the UK by enabling them to connect and trade with a rapidly changing world. Open in the next decade and privately funded in a way that ensures it is globally competitive, the airport will provide jobs and improve people’s quality of life, enhance the natural environment and help to reduce Britain’s carbon footprint. This is a vision that must be embraced for the sake of future generations.  Image Courtesy © dbox_Foster + Partners
 Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners Strategic Context This vision for the Thames Hub Airport has been developed within the context of the long-term challenges that the UK needs to address. The population is growing rapidly and is expected to reach 70 million by 2026, with the number of households projected to rise 27% by 2033.2,3 Much of that growth will be in the South East, with London expected to accommodate over one million extra people, predominantly to the east of the capital – an area in desperate need of regeneration. To achieve the level of economic growth needed to provide enough jobs, the UK must rebalance its economy, both geographically, in redressing the North-South divide, and by sector, in augmenting its lead in services with growth in high value manufacturing.  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners 4 To support this rebalancing, there is a need to develop 21st century, high quality and sustainable transport and energy networks across the UK, as part of a wider strategy to decarbonise the economy. As other countries rapidly develop competing hub airports, served increasingly by long range aircraft, they pose a real threat to the UK’s global aviation hub status and as a nation we have to properly address the country’s long-term aviation requirements.  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners The Government’s Aviation Policy Framework recognizes the need for a significant increase in airport capacity, as long as the resultant level of carbon emissions remains within domestic and international climate change targets. 5 Delivering such an increase in capacity would provide the international connectivity, particularly to fast-growing emerging economies, for passengers and goods that the UK needs over the long term to compete in the global race to facilitate trade, encourage inward investment and secure more jobs.  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners Existing Situation Heathrow Airport is the UK’s only hub airport and for over half a century it has led the development of global aviation outside North America. It has given the UK a competitive advantage that it needs to maintain.  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners The case for more hub capacity has been looked at since the late 1960s, but its provision has been thwarted by the lack of a political consensus. Heathrow is now full and cannot be expanded on the scale required, due to its location, the predominant South Westerly winds and the scale of surrounding urban development, as any expansion would continue to inflict unacceptable levels of aircraft noise on Londoners.  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners The lack of spare capacity at the airport limits opportunities to connect with emerging economies, as well as having a significant negative impact on the passenger experience. Major delays are routinely built into aircraft arrival and departure schedules, with consequent increases in noise, carbon emissions and pollutants. When incidents occur at the airport, the lack of resilience has serious knock-on impacts for passengers and freight. 6 The lack of capacity also means that Heathrow has the world’s highest airline charges, has less air traffic movements (ATMs) and serves fewer destinations than Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt. 7 All are severe restrictions on Britain’s ability to compete.  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners UK regional passengers, who already suffer from poor public transport access to Heathrow, have seen reductions in domestic air services to and from Heathrow. As a result, they are increasingly flying to competitor European and Middle Eastern hubs rather than using Heathrow, resulting in longer end-to-end journey times and higher carbon emissions.  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners  Image Courtesy © Foster + Partners
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