Architectural Brief The new transport hub and high speed rail link to Plymouth is a high profile project intended to capitalise on the growth of rail travel in the South West of England, whilst integrating local public transport systems. Since its construction in 1877, Plymouth Central Railway Station has seen little change, particularly in relation to its connection to the city, something that has gone through radical transformation since the devastation caused by bombing in WW2. Due to the recent closure of Plymouth Airport, the new station and high speed rail link is fundamental to the future prosperity of the City and represents a massive investment to the future of rail travel as a means of transportation for the people of and visitors to Plymouth. The existing bus and coach station is located approximately 1 mile south of the train station site, which has effectively resulted in a disjointed public transport network. The brief therefore is to link the two modes of public transport. A leading edge design philosophy is required to meet the challenge presented by the project. The overall approach should reflect quality in all aspects of design. The chosen form of the transport hub should clearly demonstrate an identity whilst transforming the travel experience for users of the facility. As a clear directive of the local planning authority, the new railway terminal should be consistent with the objectives set out in the David Mackay ‘Vision for Plymouth.’ Internally, users of the transport hub must feel a sense of arrival at the facility and must be directed to the point of departure more by the qualities of the internal environment than by the use of signage alone. In contrast to the public spaces, staff accommodation must relate to a more human, intimate scale with emphasis on the quality of the working environment to achieve optimum working efficiency. Problems related to the movement between levels of the train station must be resolved to permit the use of luggage trolleys in all public areas. The opportunities presented by the potential changes in level should be fully exploited in the design to heighten the customer experience in the major public spaces. Operational flexibility dictates a design approach which must satisfy the varied circumstances outlined in the functional brief. Materials and their detailing must relate to durability ensuring efficient use of fabric and structure. The need for energy conservation and minimal future operating costs should dictate the overall servicing and technical detailing strategies. Users of Plymouth City Train Station have historically found the station isolated and disconnected from the City. The design team should address this issue to ensure visitors are able to feel a sense of place and arrival.
Operational Brief (train station) The Station will be served by a minimum of six trains each hour, two from the Penzance direction and four from the London direction. Demand forecasts suggest that the facility can be expected to handle 4m passengers in 2020 which is projected to rise to 5m by the year 2035 (see below) The new railway will need to accommodate this increased level of traffic. This operational and functional brief sets out the anticipated maximum flows and states the satisfactory clearing times from platform level together with a required schedule of accommodation. Year
2002-3
2004-5
2006-7
2008-9
20010-11
Entries Exits Interchanges Total
721,000 710,000 unknown 1,432,000
767,000 752,000 55,000 1,574,000
929,000 916,000 78,000 1,923,000
1,344,000 1,344,000 133,000 2,821,000
1,521,000 1,520,000 125,000 3,166,000
Office of Rail Regulation, retrieved 30/05/11 Due to the recent closure of Plymouth Airport, the new station and high speed rail link is fundamental to the future prosperity of the City and represents a massive investment to the future of rail travel as a means of transportation for the people and visitors of Plymouth. 1.0 Platforms There is no provision for additional platforms, although the design should consider future growth and accommodate for additional passengers. The eight existing platforms are to remain as existing. 2.0 Concourse The concourse will have seating for 80 people, Customer Information screens, train arrival and departure information, public telephones and conveniences. The concourse will require 6 ticket booths and facilities for self service ticket kiosks. There is a requirement for a cafe to cater for 60 persons and an area of 200sqm dedicated for retail space. 3.0 Puiblic Facilities Public toilets are to be provided. Male and female toilets with baby change facilities and a unisex wheelchair accessible toilet are to be provided. This accommodation, including storage, will be in an area of 80 m² and accord with Network Rail standards. 4.0 Staff Facilities The Station is to be staffed. The ticket office secure area should contain a unisex staff rest room with 1 wc and 1 whb and a 4 sq m stationary cupboard. A staff mess room is to be provided to accommodate a maximum of 12 staff at any one time. Train crew facilities with a crew rest room with 1 wc and 1 whb are to be provided at the station to accommodate a maximum of 8 staff at any one time. 5.0 Ticket Facilities There will be a ticket office/information office with six ticket windows all with induction Loops (one dual height counter with low level) serving out onto the main concourse to accommodate 20 customers queuing at each window without interrupting circulation. At least 6 no. Ticketing Vending Machines (TVM) will be available within the Station concourse.
Operational Brief continued (train station) 6.0
Canopy
It is assumed that the majority of passengers will remain under cover once they step off the train and enter the station and vice versa. A minimum of 200m length of the platform must be covered by a canopy. Diesel trains may use the facility, and therefore extraction of diesel fumes will be required. This will be by passive means. The concourse is to be an enclosed environment. 7.0
Parking
There is a requirement to provide 150 spaces 8.0
Cycle Storage
80 secure cycle storage spaces are to be provided. 9.0
Taxi Rank
To ensure spaces for 12 taxis on a rolling basis 10.0
Circulation
Vertical circulation must be minimised to ensure users of the station (particularly disabled and ambulant users) do not face the unnecessary use of steps to access / egress the station. The existing station utilises a subway to transport users from each platform. There is no requirement to maintain this subway. 11.0
Lost Property
A storage area for lost property of at least 20sqm is to be provided 12.0
British Transport Police
The existing transport police station will be demolished to make way for the new terminal. There is no requirement for this station to be replaced, however an area within the new station will be required to accommodate 2 permanent members of staff, an administration office, associated wc and wash facilities and 1 No. holding cell. 13.0
Tourist Information
A Tourist Information Office / Kiosk is to be provided at the station. The Kiosk will be staffed on a full time basis, 9am - 5.30pm by one member of staff.
Operational Brief (bus & coach station) 1.0
Concourse
The bus / coach station is to serve both domestic and national bus services. It is anticipated that 12 bus bays would be sufficient for frequent domestic services and 4 bays will be required for national services. The concourse should provide a sheltered waiting area with dedicated bays for passengers. 2.0
Parking
There is a requirement to provide 150 spaces (the parking facilities should be shared with the train station) 3.0
Cycle Storage
20 secure cycle storage spaces are to be provided. 4.0
Taxi Rank
To ensure spaces for 12 taxis on a rolling basis (the taxi rank facilities should be shared with the train station) 5.0
Bus Service Lane
Due to the frequency of domestic bus services, which will be run in conjunction with the main bus services along Royal Parade, a dedicated bus lane will be required to service the station. This dedicated lane should not interfere with vehicular traffic associated with the train station. 6.0
Circulation
Vertical circulation must be minimised to ensure users of the station (particularly disabled and ambulant users) do not face the unnecessary use of steps to access / egress the station. The existing station utilises a subway to transport users from each platform. There is no requirement to maintain this subway. 7.0
Lost Property
A storage area for lost property of at least 20sqm is to be provided 8.0
Tourist Information
A Tourist Information Office / Kiosk is to be provided at the station. The Kiosk will be staffed on a full time basis, 9am - 5.30pm by one member of staff. 9.0 Puiblic Facilities Public toilets are to be provided. Male and female toilets with baby change facilities and a unisex wheelchair accessible toilet are to be provided. This accommodation, including storage, will be in an area of 60 m² 4.0 Staff Facilities The Station is to be staffed. The ticket office secure area should contain a unisex staff rest room with 1 wc and 1 whb and a 4 sq m stationary cupboard. A staff mess room is to be provided and shared with the train station 5.0 Ticket Facilities There will be a ticket office/information office with six ticket windows all with induction Loops (one dual height counter with low level) serving out onto the main concourse to accommodate 20 customers queuing at each window without interrupting circulation. At least 6 no. Ticketing Vending Machines (TVM) will be available within the Station concourse.
My goal was to design a building that reflects the new station’s potential significance as a driver for high speed rail to the south west and a catalyst for urban regeneration in the historic waterfront city of Plymouth. I imagined a building without facades with a soaring roof above offering protection from the elements. The transparent structure would maintain the views through and of the station. Similar in many ways to the expression of Santiago Calatrava’s work, the concept underlying this design is to create a structural form which celebrate expressed movement through static, fixed entities. This dynamic architectural approach aims to create an iconic structure that stimulates both the user and observer of the station. During the early stage of the design process, 3 simple diagrammatic drawings illustrate clearly the structural form and subsequently the design intent for the scheme. Diagram 1, in many ways, replicate the physical characteristics of the train track— and by this, the sensation one feels as the train passes over the track. The repetitive motion of the train and its connection to the track heightens the experience of rail travel, and is used here as a deliberate reference to this sensation. The rhythmic and repetitive nature of these lines are an expression of movement through structural form. Another key diagram introduces the concept of changing height within the structure. Height is used deliberately as a suggestive architectural tool to facilitate movement through the building. The vaulted shape was natural development of this vision while the soft undulating curve of the roof was selected to mimic the experience of movement and space through altering heights. Rather than orienting the movement of travellers using wayfinding devices, as many designers of contemporary stations have chosen to do, the concept (as indicated by diagram 3) of this design is to channel and inform crowds through the configuration of the building itself. This explains the size and the strong sense of direction given to the structural elements of the station and justifies the rhythmic repletion of structural members as they relate to the movement of the crowds. The need for orientation is also critical to the design due to the existing problems experienced by travellers as they enter the city by train. The removal of physical barriers such as the existing carpark and the houses at Caprerra Terrace, were essential to connect the transport hub to the city - as originally intended by Abercrombie in his post war reconstruction of the city.
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This project is about movement in architecture. Buildings are generally static structures, however both their form and their relationship to external influences such as light and the movement of people can create a dynamic impact on its users. The motion of the train as it enters a station has both an audible and visual impact to the traveller synonymous with rail travel. This project aims to heighten the experience of motion by creating spaces that accentuate the perception of movement through the relationship of static structures, transparency, light and shadow. The concept of motion, dynamic movement and kinetic architecture has been tackled by a number of contemporary architects. Calatrava uses dynamic and repetitive structural forms to create an illusion of perceived movement and a clear sense of direction; where as Hadid formulates the expression of movement through fluid lines. Each of these design concepts will be considered throughout the exploration of architectural movement.
main eastern route to city
sutton harbour
barbican citadal
The visual connection between the north of the city
university campus
major pedestrian routes
train station
major vehicular routes
waterfront pedestrian link to waterfront retail / commercial area
west hoe
main western route to city milbay dock / ferry port rail
Residential Area Central Park
Train Station Residential Area Existing train station car park Caprera Terrace Residential Area North cross Roundabout University Buildings Armada Way
Shopping Centre
Bus Station
The Abercrombie plan divided the reconstructed central areas of Plymouth into distinct areas. The original plan was to connect the separate functions of the city on a grid down an axis akin to Vaux - le - Vicompte. Plymouth was represented as a grand city en fête on the scale of Oxford Circus, with fountains and gardens down this axis . The city centre was divided into several precincts, each with its own function - shopping, civic centre, offices, theatres, recreation and culture - with the Barbican labelled as ‘historic Plymouth’. Almost all the old buildings and the original street patterns from the West Hoe to the railway station were swept away, to be replaced by an ordered, symmetrical, rectilinear grid of wide new streets set about a north-south axis running from the war memorial on the Hoe to the railway station at North Hill. Around the centre ran a dual-carriageway gyratory bypass with a series of traffic circles from which routes radiated to the suburbs, Union Street, the Torpoint ferry and Exeter. This Typological study of buildings in Plymouth demonstrates that little has changed from the original Abercombie Plan. In fact, the original vision has given way to a somewhat diluted interpretation, which architecturally is less cohesive and serves to disconnect the important functions of the city. In particular, the train station has given way to the importance of the motor vehicle and has become isolated from the central axis it was designed to serve. The Mackay vision commissioned by the local authority highlighted the importance of the connection to the train station and forms a critical precedent to the re-design of the station and its relationship to the city. In terms of public transport, the motor vehicle has dominated the infrastructure of the city centre. Although New George Street and Cornwall Street has been largely pedestrianised, the connections to both the train and bus station has been ignored. From the map below, it is clearly evident the physical boundary that separates this public transport network and the need to bring the two together to form a cohesive infrastructure.
Location of Train Station
Existing Location of Bus / Coach Station