Cross

Case study Regenerating London King’s Cross

Architectural practice John McAslan + Partners relied on MicroStation to develop this iconic station redevelopment that melds a Grade 1 listed building with state-of-the-art design.

Built in 1852, King’s Cross rail- Cliff Green, project technology manager construction, reusing existing structures way station is one of the main at John McAslan + Partners. “The way the and restoring historic building elements, transportation hubs in London. station connects with the city and sup- including the train shed and the station’s As with the rest of the United ports the urban regeneration project is previously obscured historic façade. Kingdom’s rail network infrastructure, hugely complex.” Given the number of organisations the station has struggled in recent years For a project of this size and complexi- involved in this complex project, from to manage increasing passenger numbers ty, architects John McAslan + Partners design through fabrication and construcand to provide the space and amenities needed equally sophisticated models and tion, it was essential to enable efficient commuters expect. modelling tools. MicroStation’s federated collaboration and information sharing.

The £547 million redevelopment of model structure allowed the large design MicroStation’s federated model structure King’s Cross station is at the heart of one team to share common files between mul- ensured everyone on this large design of the largest regenera- team had access to hightion projects in Europe, with 67 acres of brownfield land being redevel- We can work in large ‘‘ teams and use 2D, 3D, and quality, consistent, validated data. The collaborative prooped to create eight million square feet of offices, retail space and BIM to suit the state project, and the skills of of the our project, the type of team. The flexibility cess enabled the project team to avoid disruption to London Underground housing. of MicroStation offers a real advantage passengers and allowed

This complex urban Network Rail to meet its regeneration project faced many technical ’’ promise to TfL that no mainline train service challenges, including the potential impact tiple disciplines. Using Bentley tools they would be cancelled due to redevelopment. on the mainline station, a number of were able to merge and organise numer- “With so much information to share underground transport connections, and ous elements of the project including her- with so many different parties, the speed the nearby St Pancras International rail- itage and conservation work on current and effectiveness of information capture way station. The redevelopment also had structures, as well as existing services and collaboration was a key aspect of this to maintain the historic Grade 1 listed and transportation infrastructure. project,” Mr Green said. building, which required continual verification from English Heritage and other Remaking a London icon 3D modelling statutory bodies. The King’s Cross redevelopment project The western concourse semi-circle

“King’s Cross station is not just a build- is operated by Network Rail and spon- diagrid roof, which rises 20 metres and ing; it is a major transportation node in a sored by the Department for Transport. spans 150 metres, involved engineering highly sensitive part of the city,” explains The project required a new design and and co-ordination challenges.

The new concourse, which covers 7,500 square metres, and is the largest singlespan structure in Western Europe, could only accommodate supports at a limited number of points, due to various subway and services tunnels. The roof also had to be constructed in a way that did not touch the historical structures. Accurate 3D modelling of the roof and surrounding structures was vital to successful co-ordination between an international team of architects, structural designers and fabricators. Design verification Because the station is an important historical structure, one of the key challenges for this project was the need for on-going design verification during the extended heritage and conservation negotiations. High-quality, accurate 3D models were vital to the restoration of the historic south facade, and the refurbishment of the vaulted main train shed (including incorporation of photovoltaic arrays).

Using detailed survey data along with MicroStation’s power to handle complex infrastructure project data, John McAslan + Partners was able to weave historical structures into a modern project. “We were able to speed up the design process and could accurately predict the outcome

The innovative new western concourse single-span roof rises 20 metres, and spans 150 metres to cover 7,500 square metres

of works to the existing historical fabric,” tile to assess how they could be best explains Mr Green. “It allowed savings installed — a process that simply could during the construction phase through not have been carried out manually. the reduction of errors in documentation and also for savings at scheme level by Supportive technology allowing rapid communication of the As the project progressed, John McAslan design to the client, consultative organi- extended its use of Bentley software from sations and to project collaborators.” 2D and 3D, to building information model-

The firm also used MicroStation to ver- ling (BIM) and GenerativeComponents, ify design concepts, for example assess- without the need to step outside the MicroStation interface. “This is a Accurate 3D modeling of the really smart way to work,” says Mr roof and surrounding Green. “We can work in large teams structures was vital and use 2D, 3D, and BIM to suit the state of the project, the type of project, and the skills of our team. The flexibility of MicroStation offers a real advantage and allows us to work to the best of our ability.” The station remodel has enhanced passenger amenities, rationalised operational activities, and significantly increased retail space. In addition, John McAslan + ing the way new buildings would work Partners played a key role in the wider with the existing site and how the build- transformation of the King’s Cross area. ing’s flow would work for passengers, This included improved infrastructure, including everything from concourse lay- social, and commercial changes that now out to signage. connect the station with the substantial

In addition, the concourse is now clad King’s Cross Central scheme to the north, with 5.2 million tiny ceramic tiles that as well as improved interchange links with had to be laid over a two-way curve with the London Underground, St Pancras staconstruction joints. John McAslan + tion, Thameslink services, taxis and buses. Partners used MicroStation to model each ■ bentley.com ■ mcaslan.co.uk