

with construction well underway, addition and renovation work on the birmingham ‘new street station’ has taken full form, with the ETFE roof finalized as of september 2014. the design is based on the competition winning proposal by foreign office architects (FOA) in 2008, and has stayed with architect alejandro zaera-polo and his more recent office AZPML following FOA’s dissolve.

seeking to serve as an architectural icon for the prominent transport hub, the scheme is distinguished by two main components: a sweeping stainless steel cladding surface that wraps the existing building, and a new atrium covered by a translucent bubble-like structure. the station’s transformation is commissioned by network rail, and expected to be fully completed in september 2015.

the ETFE roof structure covering the station’s new atrium was finalized as of september 2014

all images © network rail and AZPML

in regards to the project’s new stainless steel skin, which wraps the perimeter of the building, undulating and branching forms were conceived to express the dynamic geometries of the train station’s tracks. in addition, the material’s mirrored quality is intended to visually connect the bold and inherently contrasting urban element to its surrounding context. the architects state, ‘as the cladding cannot be related to the interior of the building for practical reasons, the design of the façade has been related to the exterior space, making the building an instrument to intensify the perception of urban life in birmingham’s inner city, as opposed to try to reveal its inner structure.’

a john lewis department store emerges from the band of stainless steel cladding

beyond the new atrium, perimeter cladding, and reorganization of concourse and platform access, the station’s transformation includes a major building addition to house retail program. known as ‘grand central’, the shopping center is predominantly comprised of a large john lewis department store, which emerges from the lower level band of stainless steel on the complex’s south side.

the sweeping mirrored surfaces peel apart to create ‘eye-shaped’ forms above main entries

glass cladding provides a moment of transparency between the interior and street level

the undulating skin reflects the traffic passing by, surrounding buildings, and sky above

the cladding pinches upward to reveal the existing brick structure

installation of the stainless steel sheets

the east façade, prior to application of the metal skin

a view of the in-progress atrium beneath the bubble-shaped roof



an interior view of the retail space



the partially-open station continues to function for transport needs



the mirrored cladding hangs over the station's entrances



a rendered image of the daylit atrium



a view toward the atrium and concourse access



lower level train platforms



east façade



new stephenson street entrance



exterior plaza



south entry and john lewis department store



west façade





site plan



section



section: atrium



section: atrium



exploded axonometric of ETFE roof above atrium



cladding diagrams



3D wall sections



wall section

full article here

project team:

client: network rail ltd.

concept architect: AZPML

façade structure engineer: AKTII

M&E engineer: hoare lea

construction management: mace

executive architect: atkins

structural engineer: atkins

M&E engineer: atkins

QS: faithful & gould

grand central interior architect: haskoll

AZPML/FOA partner-in-charge: alejandro zaera-polo

AZPML/FOA team: manuel eijo, guillermo fernandez-abascal, charles valla, christof trenner, miquel surinac, tommaso franzolini, lola fernandez, sukyeong kim, carmen sagredo, takeru sato, penny sperbund, niklavs paegle, tobias jewson, mio sato, manuel távora