Rt. Hon Tessa Jowell's speech to Architects Journal breakfast club

Tessa Jowell, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, discusses reaching the golden age of architecture in line with the 2012 Olympics.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell unveils a new Olympics exploratory aimed at young people and looks ahead to CABE's Designed with care health campaign.

The Architects Journal has done a great job in getting together in one place such an impressive group - and all at 8am on a Thursday morning. Sorry I can't stay for longer, but being a Thursday, I have to hurry off to a historically interesting but architecturally uninspiring Georgian townhouse in central London.

Before I start I think it's worth taking a moment to recognise the incredibly valuable role of the AJ in feeding as well as reporting debates for over 100 years. I'd like to congratulate Isabel and her team on the fantastic re-design of the Journal. If any profession should have a well designed house journal it's yours.

The redesign reflects the energy of British architecture today. UK firms account for 8 of the 10 top architectural firms in Western Europe and over 60 of the world's largest architecture firms are British. And I don't need to tell you that without this backbone of architectural talent and skills, the UK construction industry wouldn't provide a tenth of the UK's gross domestic product, and employ 1.4 million people, as it does today.

So what I want to talk about this morning is not how you can be successful. You're there. Rather, how we aim even higher, stretching our architects'achievements in terms of design, quality and innovation to realise the potential for a real Golden Age for British Architecture. The goal that we are all aiming for - and in many ways the incentive that will help us get there - is of course the Olympics. It's this once-in-a-generation opportunity that could really alter the way people look at where they live -not just people in the east end of London but all over Britain and the world.

The culture sector leads the way

In the last twenty years, we have seen a wave of imaginative new design both around this country and abroad. Often fuelled by the lottery, and often inspired by the Bilbao effect in cultural clustering, we are seeing the greatest period of civic renewal since the 19th century work of people like Joe Chamberlain. Those building programmes gave us amenity, space, beauty and utility. They gave us the libraries, schools and parks that are the arteries of community life. And they inspired fierce local pride and identity. And so do the programmes of today. You see it in Birmingham, Manchester, and in the Bellenden Road estate in Peckham on the edge on my constituency. In every place, architects, designers, planners and residents have come together to produce a new community and a new economy. One that - to mangle William Morris - we know to be useful and believe to be beautiful.

I could wax lyrical about the amazing opportunities I've had since I became Secretary of State to see some of the best examples. I've been wowed by brand new purpose built cultural facilities such as the IWM North in Greater Manchester and The Sage in Gateshead and the Laban in Deptford. I've seen old buildings transformed and given new uses. For example, the Tate Modern in London and the Baltic, again in Gateshead. Of course, it isn't just new cultural buildings that we've seen recently: 30 St Mary Axe - the Gherkin - still grabs me every time I see it on the skyline. And as someone who worked in Birmingham for many years, I danced on the grave of the old Bullring, and loved seeing the new redevelopment, Selfridges and all.

DCMS shows its commitment to that kind of good design through our sponsorship of CABE. And I'm proud of what the Government has achieved with its now internationally acclaimed Urban Design Strategy and the Sustainable Communities plan.

But there is no reason why good design should be confined to high-profile buildings in big cities. Every building, no matter the scale or purpose, should embrace principles of good design.

But the question for all of us now, is how do we take the next step? How do we make sure that the rich seam of design talent and experience we have in this country is fully nurtured and exploited to produce such a golden age of architecture that coincides with 2012? And for me, just as importantly, how do we make sure that this golden age is about not only creating the highest quality design and peerless innovation, but also about building truly sustainable communities?

Sustainable Communities

Communities are about more than just buildings. We need to create high quality public space that is inspiring as well as safe, accessible and sustainable too. People require places that bring an improved quality of life, and that provide a stimulating and healthy environment. People require places that encourage and foster social interaction. And as you know well-designed buildings create sustainable, functional environments that serve the people who use them.

So often the design of housing is still woefully poor. The same could be said of many public sector buildings -even some of the most important, like prisons, schools and hospitals. In this area, I fear we are lagging behind Spain, Holland and Scandinavia and I think we might be setting ourselves up for serious negative social consequences in the future. So I'd like to see more architects and their commissioners really tackling this by engaging in the design process the end users -or people, as they are known outside Whitehall. This is second nature to many of us now, but there's really no excuse for not making it universal.

Health and the built environment

Take the health sector. As a social worker and as health minister, I visited some amazing, and many appalling places that are, in theory, therapeutic environments.

That is why I'm delighted to announce that later this month CABE will be launching Designed with care, a major new campaign aimed at raising the aspirations of the health sector and inspiring and influencing those involved in creating new healthcare buildings. The campaign report is illustrated by some of the best-designed, functional and most imaginative neighbourhood health buildings from across the UK.

It shows the wide range of facilities and the fresh approaches being taken to meet increasing demand and rising patient expectations. These buildings demonstrate an understanding of the needs of their neighbourhood and create a human, inclusive and reassuring environment.

Design Champion

It's my role as Government Design Champion to raise awareness about initiatives like this - both across Government and in the wider community. I also try to support CABE by promoting the Better Public Building agenda wherever I can.

I stay in contact with colleagues in Government Departments right across Whitehall to ensure that we embed positive messages about the value of good design in construction delivery and monitor progress with projects happening across a variety of sectors. The public sector building programme has to lead the way, demonstrating principles of good design, fostering the idea that high quality architecture should be the norm.

Design Champions in Local Government and the Private Sector

CABE has proved itself a highly effective and successful agency to do just that. Design Champions in Government and now spreading throughout the public sector have had a huge impact on design leadership. Delivering design quality also requires strong local leadership. So it's great news that two thirds of local authorities now have designated design champions. That amounts to 260 local authorities across England which is excellent progress. But there is more to do to spread this good practice into the private sector. CABE are currently working with the top 10 volume house builders to ensure they appoint design champions at board level and this is something I want to see grow - until design champions are the norm in the public and private sector - between now and 2012.

The Prime Minister's Award

We've also got to make sure we continue to celebrate the successes we see throughout the country. We should reward not just the iconic - and sometimes exclusive - buildings I mentioned earlier, but also the most successful projects in which design is a component part, alongside good management and construction practices, and which also meet targets, budgets and clients'expectations. I think the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award has achieved this over the last five years.

You just need to look at a past shortlist for the award to see the diversity of projects being undertaken by both central and local government. Government offices (of course); schools; libraries; flood defences and roads. I was honoured to present the award to the 2005 winner, the Jubilee Library in Brighton - a stylish, innovative, PFI project, loved by bookworms everywhere.

What I want to hear from you

I want to see this kind of success repeated again and again across the country. But I know that sometimes you feel frustration at what you perceive as the obstacles that are put in the way of getting these landmark buildings and spaces built - whether those are financial, regulatory or educational. I want to hear from you about how we can overcome these obstacles. Specifically, I want to start a conversation about how we can maximise creativity and innovation while still maintaining the high standards and tight financial controls demanded by public sector clients. I want to know how you think we can ensure that the wealth of creative talent coming out of our architecture schools stays in this country. I think the AJ's annual feature on '40 under 40' highlighting the cream of Britain's crop of young architects is a great idea but how can we overcome the difficulties our less -established practices face in competing for the best jobs?

Delivering the 2012 Olympics

It's vital that we start this debate and generate answers now so that we can apply what we learn to the greatest architectural and design challenge we will see in our lifetimes.

Good design played a key role in winning the London 2012 Olympic bid and MUST remain a key element of the realisation. This is going to be about excellent design results from an informed and focused client creating the best project they can within the constraints of time and cost.

The Olympics provides some unique design challenges -many of the buildings and spaces need to be able to accommodate or adapt to two scenarios -hosting the Olympics and contributing to a long-lasting, high-impact legacy.

The interim Olympic Delivery Authority will be determined to get the best possible outcome -in terms of functionality, construction quality and design aesthetic -for the buildings and the public spaces. A relentless focus on value for money will be absolutely integral to everything they do. This means careful analysis of the budget available, development of appropriate and deliverable briefs and safeguarding design quality through the whole process. In the words of the bid book, the ODA will be a client working within the principle of the \"excellence without extravagance\".

I see the Games as a catalyst. It will be both a proving ground and a showcase for the very best in British design. It will inspire the renewal of Britain and generate huge demand for British creativity all over the world. What is created should inspire everyone across the country to think about where they live and how it can be improved. Many people will be prompted -perhaps for the first time -to reflect on how design affects the quality of their life and to view their own environment \"through the prism of 2012\".

CABE Olympics Exploratory

And we already know that the built environment has an amazing potential for learning. The Hackney Building Exploratory has tapped into this, and you can't visit it without feeling inspired. Members of the local community, and particularly children, are able through a series of models and maps to learn about the borough they live in, how it developed historically and how the place is changing.

I am delighted to say that CABE are about to begin a feasibility study into establishing an Olympics Exploratory in partnership with LOCOG, the ODA and local stakeholders. This would act as a focal point for young people. It would interpret development in preparation for 2012 in the context of the history of both the Olympic sites and the Olympics in the UK and also connect people with the history of Olympians from their communities.

Conclusion

I am really excited about this project. It encapsulates so much of what I wanted to talk about: putting people back into buildings. And putting buildings back into the heart of communities.

There's a job there for you. And for Government. So we'll keep supporting you and CABE, if you keep us to our side of the bargain. Hold our feet to the fire.

Only by commissioners, architects and the public straining every sinew will we make 2012 the annus mirabilis it can so easily be.