Every example of good interior design has a idea behind it
Hopkins architects were no exception when they took on the challenge of redesigning the Westminster Underground station and the Porticullis house directly above. The brief was to design a functional station which would be the supports and footings of the parliamentary building above, include a new ticket hall for expansion of commuters, and two new underground lines, the eastbound and westbound Jubilee lines.
Hopkins has numerous problems to solve in the construction which lasted six years. The station was the most complex out of the Jubilee Line Extension which formed several new precedents for underground construction. One of the main concerns was not to effect the surrounding buildings in the area including our beloved Big Ben. Due to this, the Jubilee lines were stacked vertically as opposed to the standard side-by-side layout. This is a common practice in North America's subway systems.
The basic structure of Westminster Underground is a solid concrete box which is held in place primarily from the steel struts that lie horizontally. The weight of he struts is bared on the six reinforced concrete columns which are over 40 meters long beginning on the ground level visible in the courtyard area. The columns cast in-situ were built top down, gradually placing the flyer struts in place which later would become essential to then support the escalators inside the box. Six layers make up the whole arrangement, although clearly signposted to the trains, the escalators make the space very easy confusing. The diagrad ceiling in the ticket hall level acts as the main supports for the building situated on top. It was important not to disturb the current train service, this meant that the majority of work was done in the few early hours of the morning when the system has shut-down. The whole cost of the new station was over £20 million pounds.
The overall effect of the station is that it cast an image of traveling on anarcheologicall dithrough catacombssss due tthe essentiallll expansivebuttressess, eerie spotlight lighting and the panels of the escalators as being transported. For finishing touches the concrete was lightly sand-blasted to a smooth finish.
Hopkins architects were no exception when they took on the challenge of redesigning the Westminster Underground station and the Porticullis house directly above. The brief was to design a functional station which would be the supports and footings of the parliamentary building above, include a new ticket hall for expansion of commuters, and two new underground lines, the eastbound and westbound Jubilee lines.
Hopkins has numerous problems to solve in the construction which lasted six years. The station was the most complex out of the Jubilee Line Extension which formed several new precedents for underground construction. One of the main concerns was not to effect the surrounding buildings in the area including our beloved Big Ben. Due to this, the Jubilee lines were stacked vertically as opposed to the standard side-by-side layout. This is a common practice in North America's subway systems.
The basic structure of Westminster Underground is a solid concrete box which is held in place primarily from the steel struts that lie horizontally. The weight of he struts is bared on the six reinforced concrete columns which are over 40 meters long beginning on the ground level visible in the courtyard area. The columns cast in-situ were built top down, gradually placing the flyer struts in place which later would become essential to then support the escalators inside the box. Six layers make up the whole arrangement, although clearly signposted to the trains, the escalators make the space very easy confusing. The diagrad ceiling in the ticket hall level acts as the main supports for the building situated on top. It was important not to disturb the current train service, this meant that the majority of work was done in the few early hours of the morning when the system has shut-down. The whole cost of the new station was over £20 million pounds.
The overall effect of the station is that it cast an image of traveling on anarcheologicall dithrough catacombssss due tthe essentiallll expansivebuttressess, eerie spotlight lighting and the panels of the escalators as being transported. For finishing touches the concrete was lightly sand-blasted to a smooth finish.
posted by Zoe @ 3:24 AM
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