HS2 Interchange is the first railway station in the world to achieve a ‘BREEAM Outstanding’ rating. It is designed touch the ground lightly, celebrate the character of the existing landscape and respect the natural environment.
Built over a 17ha site and with two island platforms each almost half a kilometre in length, the station design is lean in construction and operation, addressing embodied and operational carbon consumption. Engineered to HS2’s high sustainable aspirations the station will perform at zero carbon emissions for day-to-day energy consumption.
The station layout itself is very simple. Designed to be safe, inclusive and intuitive to use and operate. The concourse is characterised by a glulam structure and timber soffit, a significant saving of embodied carbon compared to a steel alternative. A landscaped outdoor terrace opens from the station concourse, maximising views over the surrounding landscape.
North-facing skylights create the signature form and bring in natural daylight and ventilation while capturing rainwater for reuse. A ‘Green and Blue’ infrastructure manages water across the site through sustainable drainage systems, with sunken rain gardens incorporated in the public plaza and extensive planting of hedgerows and trees.
Birmingham Interchange is being delivered as part of the first phase of HS2. Located in Solihull. It will be a catalyst for growth for the West Midlands by increasing connectivity and promoting sustainable transport. The scheme includes a People Mover, a 3km viaduct structure that directly connects with the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International Railway Station and Birmingham Airport.
HS2 Interchange Station from Arup Visual Communications on Vimeo.
All the information about how to enter the 2020 WAN Awards is here.
We are very happy to offer support so please don’t hesitate to email Georgia, WAN Awards Event Coordinator with any questions at Georgia.Baily@haymarket.com.
Last year more than 40 countries took part in the WAN Awards with strong showings from Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. And we saw some truly outstanding projects, take a look at the winners from last year here.