Successful interchange design requires integration of architecture with the functional planning of passenger and operational spaces. Arup's multidisciplinary approach ensures the solution is always the most appropriate for clients' business needs.
Arup combines architectural vision, urban planning, passenger flows and experience and operations, alongside safety and security systems, to ensure that commercial and retail opportunities are maximised. The passenger experience
The passenger experience starts long before reaching the interchange, whether at a train station or an airport terminal. The public space should delight the passenger through its design, ease of use, retail and operational facilities. It should also facilitate wayfinding, safety, security and maintenance. Beyond the space itself, the connections between the station and terminal and the onward journey should all form part of the overall experience and operational efficiency.
For the client, the efficiency and functionality of the terminus must work effectively with the flows of the space, passengers and operational requirements. Arup's interchange design expertise and experience ensure that the building fabric, services and systems are tightly integrated.
Successfully balancing function and design
Interchange design must perfectly and successfully balance the functional and operational requirements of a station or airport with aesthetic design and positive passenger experience in order to create a space that works.
Arup's interchange design team was commissioned by London and Continental Railways to undertake major works at Stratford, as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. This work included an international station facility at the centre of a large brownfield site, as a precursor to future development. The completed Stratford International Station will cater for up to four Eurostar International trains and up to eight domestic services per hour from the Kent region. The low-slung, steel and glass station structure has been designed as a facility to provide for high speed rail services and as a link to both sides of the Stratford Box by means of public walkway and travelator through to the existing station at Stratford.
Dublin Metro North required a design that provided a positive and comprehensive travelling experience for the passenger, balanced with an interchange that was cost-effective, safe and durable, with a low maintenance regime. The station also needed to achieve the client’s sustainability and ecological design requirements. Intelligent design and careful arrangement of the public realm ensure that the station and its space respond positively to people's needs.
For the Wuxi Airport in China, Arup designed a striking new terminal building, which allowed for an initial two million passengers per year, with planned expansion to double this capacity. The project includes airside taxiways, contact and remote stands, as well as landside traffic infrastructure and facilities.