Euston Concept Design
Architects Aedas have been appointed to oversee a revamp of the existing concourse at Euston staton.
In their own words:
Aedas has developed a coherent language for the station wayfinding, retail signage and advertising, ensuring they are integrated into the station architecture. Improvements to the passenger experience will be provided by better connection between internal and external concourses, simplifying routes to the platforms and improving passenger information.
Increased lettable area will be provided by the addition of a mezzanine deck within the concourse, allowing growth in the premium food and beverage offer. The structure inserts rich materials into the concourse, complimenting the crispness of the original design and augmenting the wayfinding and passenger flow around the London Underground access.
Distilling the relevant information from the above, the concourse of the existing national rail station will be revamped incrementally and decluttered.
As commentors have pointed out before in reference to Kings Cross, increasing “lettable area” seems to have become a key objective in many of Network Rail’s station rebuilds in recent years, and this trend seems set to continue at Euston. It will become the latest of London’s stations to acquire a new Mezzanine deck.
Any revamp of Euston may of course prove temporary, with the possibility of a major station overhaul lurking should HS2 go ahead. Aedas’ final designs are likely to take this into account, and no doubt Network Rail will be keen to ensure that the potential for wasted effort is minimised.
Thanks to IanVisits for the spot
The quote from Aedas is almost a satire of what you’d expect an architect to say…
This will no doubt improve things for users of Euston in the medium-term.
I suspect that the design would be such that the mezzanine would allow for ‘increased lettable space’ prior to any HS2-related station rebuild, and therefore allow an appropriate amount of space to be retained to keep the station open while any such works were being carried out.
At least, I’d hope so.
It is a rather wonderful quote.
Architects, like LR authors, apparently bill by the word.
It’s almost newspeak.
“Improvements to the passenger experience will be provided by better connection between internal and external concourses” = better doors.
“Increased lettable area will be provided by the addition of a mezzanine deck within the concourse, allowing growth in the premium food and beverage offer” = new range of expensive shops upstairs.
Whilst Euston needs work, it is a fine example of 60s architecture and it will be a shame to see it changed and presumably, ultimately demolished for HS2. Then again the old Euston was a fine thing, swept away by progress.
The FRONT of the Old Euston was wonderful
The operating side was shite.
The current Euston, with no Arch and lots of clutter is also shite
Now we know where Gus from Drop The Dead Donkey has gone to work.
Is it not now time for Network Rail to admit they are running shopping centres that happen to have a few trains attached?
Finally, any rebuild of Euston that does not include the Euston Arch is a crock?
Me – in a bad mood? Never.
What was wrong with the existing language for station wayfinding which is more or less standardized across TfL? If Euston is going to have a unique wayfinding language, then it will be harder, not easier, to get around.
“Architects, like LR authors, apparently bill by the word”; however they still struggle with the difference between ‘complimenting’ and ‘complementing’ !
I agree with Matt-Z that it is a fine example of 60′s architecture and back then it did look great, but it’s getting worn out and needs a revamp soon, not waiting to see what, if anything, comes of HS2
@D-Notice:
A fine example of Poe’s Law
Paul, I am perhaps a little too fond of 60s architecture (I even liked the Tricorn Centre), but you are right, Euston is tired and struggling to fulfil its purpose. It’s dealing with 80-90,000 passengers a day, and that’s only going to increase, even without HS2. A makeover is necessary, and while it will clearly enhance the shopping experience (which will presumably help pay for it), getting better access to the platforms and more circulation space is obviously a good thing and, one hopes, the main aim. The related mezzanine shops project at Waterloo is starting to gather pace, any news on that LR?
Someone has stuck a giant capital E in the middle of the station.
Luckily I can see how its masterful spine and the rhythm of its quixotic cross-strokes resonate the temporal dissonance of the late arch as it enhances my coherent wayfinding towards the 18:32 to Manchester Piccadilly.
Why do this work when either way it will be rebuilt? Even before HS2 they had plans to demolish it all. Isn’t this just going to be a massive waste of money? Maybe they could at least do improvements that won’t then be demolished, like linking Euston Square station to the main complex?
Also, are they designing it to work around a rebuild? For example, greater capacity on the east while the west is rebuilt? Secondary tube entrances and other redundancies as sections are rebuilt? Or is this just an exercise in smartening it up and getting more shops in?
From the looks of that image though, they may get rid of the towers in front of the station? That would certainly be welcome.
I’ve always thought Euston is under-rated as a station. It works pretty well and is quite a simple layout and the building fairly minimalist. The new restaurants, tables and kiosks outside have created quite a nice area I think. It’s not perfect but it’s no New Street.
The worst bit about it is the tube station which is pretty awful and cramped, although the ticket area has improved recently.
I agree, Euston tube station could do with reopening it’s own proper entrance outside again, as a lot of people pass though it with no desire to go to the NR station, but end up adding to the scrum inside
The towers in front are going nowehere – its just the way they have done the visual. This scheme is about nothing more than getting more money from retail, and that is all. They have already put in the new lifts and moved retail away from the concourse to try and create more space, but they know that their grand schemes for a rebuild have been scuppered by the HS2 uncertainty, and so they are trying to do a bit more to create new space – the mezzanine. The front is being moved forward though by the looks of it, as the columned arcade that is currently outside now seems to be inside the station. Presumably the kiosks that they have put along the front will basically be subsumed by the new front wall, effectively moving them inside, and as a result a bit of the outside space will now be inside – thats the improved connection between concourses. It will be a bit better, and will probably do until HS2 gets the final go-ahead or not by the Government.
So no pinic tables? Going to have to stand to have a fag! Presumably the same mass starting area in front of departure boards.
The use of “complimentary” instead of “complementary” was hilarious, but symptomatic of the current business-speak disease. They prattle on without thinking, often using American business and sports terms because they sound cool. It’s very lazy. We have perfectly good English terms and don’t need to “Step up to the plate.” or whatever.
I hope they don’t rebuild Euston, and demolish those side-streets. It doesn’t need enlargement for HS2 if they take a proportion of the suburban traffic into Crossrail. (Which needs a counterbalance on the Paddington side.)
The use of “complimentary” instead of “complementary” was hilarious, but symptomatic of the current business-speak disease. They prattle on without thinking, often using American business and sports terms because they sound cool. It’s very lazy. We have perfectly good English terms and don’t need to “Step up to the plate.” or whatever.
I hope they don’t rebuild Euston, and demolish those side-streets. It doesn’t need enlargement for HS2 if they take a proportion of the suburban traffic into Crossrail. (Which needs a counterbalance on the Paddington side.)
Euston is a dump and needs rebuilding ASAP. The congested layout and depressing 1960s architecture makes a horrible start to the day. I suspect those above who are singing its praises have never have to use it during rush hour.
It is ridiculous there is still no link to Euston Sq, and an extra tube station entrance definitely needs opening.
It’s worth pointing out that boosting retail trade is something that NR has become pretty good at it in recent years.
St Pancras is superb: note the dumbell shaped lay out of the shopping arcade – far more effective at maximising the benefits of high station footfall than other older station layouts. Likewise the revamp on the Euston plaza: no major construction works required, significant higher end food retailing capacity added, enhancement rather than cluttering of the existing architectural environment.
Both of these schemes have been examples where the journey experience has been enhanced and the return that NR makes indirectly contributes to lower ticket prices / lower taxpayer subsidies further down the line.
Just to be slightly pedantic, I too noticed the potential mis-spelling of “complementing” – however I do want to put in a word for the author in case he did in fact mean “complimenting” in its correct sense of ‘paying a compliment’, and the sentence could possibly be read in this way i.e. if the new structure is designed to enhance and therefore, if you like, pay tribute to the original design and congratulate it by its design.
” The structure inserts rich materials into the concourse, complimenting the crispness of the original design…..”
This is my first comment on a blog which I have very great pleasure in reading and would like to compliment the authors! I won’t be complementing them yet but maybe one day will contribute a post.
Why in this country do we always p*ss away money on unhelpful piecemeal schemes rather than provide the step changes the infrastructure desperately needs.
No doubt I’ll be flamed for suggesting this, but what London needs is for Somers Town to be flattened between Polygon Road and Doric Way/British Library, and for a new THROUGH station to be built connected to St Pancras and linking the WCML and ultimately HS2 to HS1, Thameslink, the NLL, the MML and the ECML. This could be built in conjunction with a new shopping/housing/office complex on the site which, together with the complete redevelopment of the former Euston site would provide a substantial amount of income towards funding it.
Yes, many Somers Town residents would need to move. This happens with every major city centre transport project around the world, including Crossrail and the Olympics in London. It’s unfortunate for them, but the architecture in the area is hardly loved by many people or award-winning and would not represent a huge loss in the name of progress.
With the new station, which could manage with as few as 6 through platforms, WCML and HS2 trains could run through to terminate at Ebbsfleet, Ashford or (if suitably equipped) beyond onto the 3rd rail network (replacing the Javelin services) or into Europe. Overground services from Watford could run through to Stratford or onto the ELL (via the new station and a link to the NLL, NOT Camden Road or HS1) or onto Thameslink.
This scheme has so many WINS – it would up capacity for the WCML/HS1/HS2 in a stroke, and reduce NR’s central London real estate footprint generating income and reducing costs – yet we’re too British to make it happen. Look across the channel – to Belgium and Antwerp Central for example, and you can see what can be achieved with a bit of vision.