Grimshaw is currently working on the Reading Station Area Redevelopment, one of the major interchanges of the south east, and one of the busiest stations outside London. In its current form, it is also the Great Western Main Line’s biggest constraint in terms of performance and capacity. The redevelopment addresses these challenges through the proposal of six new platform faces making interchanges at the station simpler, quicker and easier. The existing station facilities are being enhanced with two new entrances and by the addition of a new transfer bridge over the tracks, designed to accommodate a 100% uplift in passenger growth. The station redevelopment is considered an important catalyst for the regeneration of the Reading town centre.
Grimshaw’s design reduces the number and complexity of construction operations on the platforms and over the tracks, ensuring that the station could be built within an operational rail environment. The largest element of construction is the station transfer deck, a 30m wide 135m long bridge, built on the north side of the station and launched over the tracks. Grimshaw worked with specialist fabricators to develop a modular canopy system which uses prefinished, factory-assembled cassette panels, with bespoke curved sections to form the sinuous, canopy ribbons that shape the station environment. The design also incorporates a Grade 2 listed structure, and a public thoroughfare beneath the station.Go read more here
