Euston Concept Design
Architects Aedas have been appointed to oversee a revamp of the existing concourse at Euston staton.
In their own words:
Aedas has developed a coherent language for the station wayfinding, retail signage and advertising, ensuring they are integrated into the station architecture. Improvements to the passenger experience will be provided by better connection between internal and external concourses, simplifying routes to the platforms and improving passenger information.
Increased lettable area will be provided by the addition of a mezzanine deck within the concourse, allowing growth in the premium food and beverage offer. The structure inserts rich materials into the concourse, complimenting the crispness of the original design and augmenting the wayfinding and passenger flow around the London Underground access.
Distilling the relevant information from the above, the concourse of the existing national rail station will be revamped incrementally and decluttered.
As commentors have pointed out before in reference to Kings Cross, increasing “lettable area” seems to have become a key objective in many of Network Rail’s station rebuilds in recent years, and this trend seems set to continue at Euston. It will become the latest of London’s stations to acquire a new Mezzanine deck.
Any revamp of Euston may of course prove temporary, with the possibility of a major station overhaul lurking should HS2 go ahead. Aedas’ final designs are likely to take this into account, and no doubt Network Rail will be keen to ensure that the potential for wasted effort is minimised.
Thanks to IanVisits for the spot
The DFT have announced funding to replace remaining social housing affected by Euston Station HS2 development see-
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hs2-honours-its-word-to-camden-social-rent-housing-residents
HS2 have published a press release with (another) rethink on the Euston redevelopment plans:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hs2-plans-can-unlock-euston-potential
The work is broken into 2 phases (linked to HS2 phase 1 and phase 2): phase 1 is building 6 additional platforms to thw west and phase 2 rebuilding part of the present structure to add another 5 HS platforms. Underpinning will be provided to enable structures (undefined as I understand it) to be built on top to ‘benefit the community’. Lots of images and so on attached.
Camden council however remain unimpressed saying the disruption is too long and does nothing for them:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/revealed-latest-vision-for-euston-stations-225bn-revamp-a2942441.html
@ CDBrux – I had a brief look at the youtube clip HS2 have put out about their new scheme. Full of soothing noises and not a lot of detail. There is a cut away drawing showing the extra tube access with a new N-S oriented ticket hall positioned to the west of the existing one with the now typical 2 mile long corridors to reach escalators down to the respective tube platforms via new adits cut into the existing platforms. These are positioned so as to try to spread loading on existing platforms. Think about what they did at Kings Cross Tube. There is also a subway link to Euston Square platforms from the new ticket hall so an all weather low level out of station interchange would be created. There is one short clip of the new entrance to the tube which looks boringly like every other new tube station entrance being built / proposed at the moment. Are we to be condemned to architectural tedium from now on on the LU estate?
The telling omission is Crossrail 2 – I can’t see it anywhere in the scheme drawing. HS2 are clearly sticking to their “we ain’t paying for it” line. Based on a few remarks via Social Media it seems Camden Council are immensely unimpressed with what’s being proposed. Further there seems to be a disconnect with whatever Network Rail are considering for Euston which strikes me as worrying as it suggests no overarching plan to properly develop Euston with a coherent result and a co-ordinated programme of construction. The prospect seems to be
HS2 Phase 1 – new platforms and LU bits
HS2 Phase 2 – more new platforms
Euston redevelopment – err sorry don’t know guv.
Crossrail 2 – what’s that?
No wonder Camden Council aren’t impressed although I accept all the detail isn’t “out there” yet (probably for political reasons).
It is almost exactly 4 years since the flowery prose architects were appointed and the mezzanine still isn’t finished. It will be fascinating to evaluate the actuality with the flowery words (a very long way) up at the top of this article. Personally, I’m not impressed. The right turn at the top of the escalators if one is heading towards Euston Square has gone, so anyone heading that way has to run the gauntlet of the main concourse or go out near the trendy clothes shop. And I can’t find adequate words to describe my feelings for the new TfL visitor centre where its entrance to it faces away from the tube station, and thus not obvious to someone heading for the tube. (Actually I can find the words but they would be “moderated”). That said, closing ticket offices and opening visitor centres wasn’t on the agenda when all this kicked off!
Camden Council do have a point – work on phase 1 starts in 2017 and is finished in 2026, and then work starts on phase 2 in 2026 (maybe) and finishes in 2033. 16 years to build a new station seems rather excessive. I can see that converting an existing station would be complex and so take a while, but phase 1, on a new site, is supposed to take 2 years longer than the rebuild. Go away and rejig the proposals until it is 5 years or less and half the cost !!!
Jim – especially if you compare it to the, dare I say ‘more major’ rebuild that took place previously!
… and the funniest thing at that gov.uk HS2 link? “Firm proposals announced for HS2 at Euston.”
As “Firm” as all the previous ones, clearly (and looking at the image, the roads to be closed include the one which accesses the taxi dropoff – which is probably no bad thing)
@WW
‘Are we to be condemned to architectural tedium from now on on the LU estate?’
If it saves money (as nice as they are, a number of the JLE stations are a bit architecturally OTT), then yes!