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STATIONS
Changing our approach to station design PHOTO: TEAM LONDON BRIDGE
JOHN HARDING
London Bridge station.
Introducing a service design process into the early RIBA stages provides a strong bedrock on which the project can meet its potential. 0. Strategic Definition
1. Preparation and Brief
i. Observe
ii. Synthesise
F
or around fifty years, the rail industry has implemented design processes that are not always aligned with how to address the needs of the user in the early design stages. And these needs are changing, arguably faster than our infrastructure design can keep up. But by learning from other industries and injecting service design thinking early on into our station and depot designs we can make modern, accessible and inclusive spaces that satisfy the requirements of customers, operators and maintainers. possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success”. IDEO’s five-stage process (observe, synthesise, generate ideas, refine, implement) has become a best practice standard worldwide. We are already seeing this being developed in front line services in the UK, such as NHS Digital, and local authorities are drawing on the expertise of researchers, technical architects
Service design thinking puts user and customer needs first to create or improve a service which speaks to their needs, and is both technologically and economically viable. According to Tim Brown of IDEO, an organisation that has been practicing human-centred design for 40 years, design thinking engenders innovation by drawing “from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the 2. Concept Design
iii. Generate Ideas
Rail Engineer | Issue 181 | Jan/Feb 2020
3. Developed Design
iv. Refine
4. Technical Design
v. Implement
5. Construction
Service Design stages
and business analysts to meet customer and community needs at each step. How can we apply service design thinking to rail stations? Fellow station designers or architects will be familiar with the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and GRIP (Governance for Railway Investment Projects) processes that govern the way we approach design. They are the backbone upon which we deliver vast and complicated buildings and infrastructure and are supported by a range of legislation and design standards, such as the processes stemming from the Equalities Act 2010, that underpin how we make design choices. 6. Handover Close Out
7. In Use
