Vent shaft design revealed

HS2 Ltd has unveiled the final design for the Little Missenden ventilation shaft headhouse on the ten-mile-long Chilterns Tunnel.

Its single-storey design is said to have been inspired by barns and historic agricultural buildings in the area. Its dark and neutral colours are designed to complement the surrounding landscape and weather.

The headhouse will sit above a ventilation shaft 17.4 metres in diameter and 30 metres deep. The site will include an autotransformer electricity station and a stair and ventilation building using similar design cues.