Construction Update of Reading Station Area Redevelopment by Grimshaw Architects

Major construction is currently under way in Reading, England as part of the Reading Station Area Redevelopment. In this new construction update video, Mark Middleton, partner at Grimshaw Architects, is on site at Reading Station and explains how the redevelopment will double its capacity and relieve a major bottleneck in the rail network west of London.

Reading Station Redevelopment Construction Update from Grimshaw on Vimeo.

Project Description from Grimshaw Architects:

Grimshaw is currently working on the Reading Station Area Redevelopment, one of the major interchanges of the south east, and one of the busiest stations outside London. In its current form, it is also the Great Western Main Line’s biggest constraint in terms of performance and capacity. The redevelopment addresses these challenges through the proposal of six new platform faces making interchanges at the station simpler, quicker and easier. The existing station facilities are being enhanced with two new entrances and by the addition of a new transfer bridge over the tracks, designed to accommodate a 100% uplift in passenger growth. The station redevelopment is considered an important catalyst for the regeneration of the Reading town centre.

Grimshaw’s design reduces the number and complexity of construction operations on the platforms and over the tracks, ensuring that the station could be built within an operational rail environment. The largest element of construction is the station transfer deck, a 30m wide 135m long bridge, built on the north side of the station and launched over the tracks. Grimshaw worked with specialist fabricators to develop a modular canopy system which uses prefinished, factory-assembled cassette panels, with bespoke curved sections to form the sinuous, canopy ribbons that shape the station environment. The design also incorporates a Grade 2 listed structure, and a public thoroughfare beneath the station.

Project Details:

Project: Reading Station
Location: Reading, UK 
Client: Network Rail / Tata Steel
Size: 15,000 sq m