Building pride in our public buildings

John Sorrell, CABE chair, promotes the launch of the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award and encourages the nomination of good developments.

Good evening again to those of you not here at the beginning. I am delighted that so many of you are here tonight to recognise and celebrate the crucial role that great buildings and public space play in this country.

From government buildings to primary schools, from community hospitals to affordable homes, the quality of the built environment has a massive, direct, impact on the quality of all our lives.

Tonight, we are launching the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award - sponsored by the OGC and CABE. Now in its sixth year, the award gives public recognition to those projects that may not shout for attention but have a real impact on the communities they serve. There has been an incredibly diverse range of winning schemes over the six years. Libraries, an art gallery an educational centre - even a road by-pass.

I would like to ask all the MPs here tonight to think about nominating good developments in their constituencies for the PM's Award. You can find out more about the Award in this leaflet we are launching today.

Now; CABE is the government's adviser on architecture, urban design and public space.

The pocket guide we are launching today sets out the arguments for why we think good design matters.

For example, the design of new hospitals and healthcare buildings that CABE has advised on will have an impact on 20 million patients and staff across England.

The design of school buildings we've advised on will affect 130,000 pupils each year, creating the kind of places where they can learn more and achieve more.

Our new guide shows some of the lessons we've learnt from these projects. These lessons are important and never more so than now, given the largest public building programme in more than half a century.

But massive investment doesn't guarantee a good legacy for future generations; because creating great public buildings is difficult and complex.

A key lesson we've learnt is the importance of an individual in creating great public buildings. Every successful project needs a champion and all champions have something in common. COURAGE. The COURAGE of an individual who understands the importance of a high quality result, and shows the determination and leadership to take risks and to go that extra mile to achieve it.

These people are often unsung heroes who make the difference between a project being just mediocre or absolutely excellent.

Earlier tonight the Secretary of State spoke about the crucial role of design champions. I'd like to give you examples of three people who have played absolutely crucial roles in the enormous success of their projects.

People like Clare Barker, the former headteacher of the Hoyle Early Years Centre in Bury for children with special educational needs. In developing the centre, Clare was tenacious and enthusiastic, eager to learn about architecture, able to handle the complexities of public procurement, and determined to involve her pupils, in all stages of the process.

People like Councillor Daniel Moylan, Deputy Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He fought for the removal of 700 metres of guard railing as part of the superb redesign of Kensington High Street. This was against officer recommendations, but the project has reduced the number of accidents as well as leading to a much better environment for shoppers.

People like Tom Dacey, Chief Executive of Southern Housing Group who uses good architects and a lot of consultation with residents to involve them in the design process. The end result is new homes which are great to live in and have been awarded two Building for life gold standards in the process.

I believe these individuals played a pivotal role in realising the potential of their projects.

This is why tonight I am calling on all MPs and peers to raise awareness of the benefits of quality design and its importance in policy formation.

Specifically, I ask MPs to do these things:

• First, to nominate good developments in their constituency for national design awards.
• Second, to ensure design quality is on the agenda if any new schools are being built in their constituency under the Building Schools for the Future programme.
• And third, to encourage local councillors to use the resources available from CABE to ensure higher design standards.

The challenge, and the opportunity, is for all those in public life to become a new wave of unsung heroes for a new generation of public buildings.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.