Birmingham New Street Station

Creating a bright, modern, 21st century focal point for Birmingham

Birmingham New Street station is at the heart of the nation’s transport network and is used by 140,000 passengers a day – more than double the number that the station was rebuilt for in the 1960s.  Now Atkins is at the heart of the dramatic £600m Gateway project, transforming New Street into a bright, modern, 21st century focal point for Birmingham, doubling its passenger capacity and acting as a stimulus for the physical regeneration of the areas surrounding the station. 

Atkins is playing a key role in this metamorphosis, after being appointed as lead consultant to complete the detailed design (‘GRIP 5’) for this scheme which is being delivered by Network Rail and is backed by Network Rail, Birmingham City Council, Advantage West Midlands, Centro and the Department for Transport.

Atkins has worked with Network Rail and Foreign Office Architects to incorporate feedback from a range of stakeholders to ensure the Gateway project will provide the best solution for passengers, Birmingham and the region.

“The focus for the team has been to create a thoroughly modern station which will provide a positive passenger experience, from the moment they approach the station, either on foot or by train, and as they use the station itself,” says Ian Redmayne, Atkins’ project manager.  

During the ‘GRIP 5’ design stage, Atkins is providing a wide range of multidiscipline services for the project including lead consultant/ design management; production architecture; civil and structural engineering; building services engineering; interior design; transportation and highways; environmental services; sustainability; landscape architecture; geotechnical engineering and rail systems.  The Atkins model making team also played a key role in the production of a scale model of the new station.

The project is challenging, as with a shopping centre above and around the station concourse there was no capacity to enlarge beyond the existing building footprint or extend upwards.  However, space was found by converting an existing car park into extra concourse space, which tripled the available concourse capacity.

In order to open up the station and bring in more natural light, the central core of the building will be removed to form an atrium over the extended concourse.   The roof of the new atrium will be formed in ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), supported by a structural arch, complementing the curves of the striking exterior proposed by Foreign Office Architects. The result is a large, light filled atrium where the joists feature as columns, creating a striking interior design feature.

“The project is structurally complex, as we are changing the way the building behaves by removing the central core and tying the nine building blocks together across existing joints.” explains Ian.  “These modifications will help form the atrium space and assist in dealing with the additional cladding loads from the new façade.”

In total, the structure will support 800 tonnes of combined weight from the polished stainless steel cladding covering the station building and roof of the existing car park. 

“A technical challenge,” says Ian, “but the structural complications are worth it. The cladding will create the effect that the building is a shining gateway to the heart of Birmingham city.  That’s what this project is all about.” 

For more information, please contact Ian Redmayne on 07803 259781 or ian.redmayne@atkinsglobal.com