32
PROJECT REPORT: TRANSPORT FACILITIES & PUBLIC REALM
to elevate the area while retaining what “made it special in the first place.” Considering how this impacted the
team, the architect says: “While the scale varies from building to building, really, the design process remains the same – you just need to consider the impact of the whole masterplan instead of just focusing in on one area, while also taking into account different areas, how they are integrated, and how they interact with each other.” As such, she says, the team had to take
a “holistic approach” to the design across the station in order to “set the scene for future phases.”
Through frequent meetings with the various stakeholders – with Historic England taking a central role – design workshops were held to ensure that there were no negative impacts of the upgrades on access, use and aesthetics of its surroundings on all sides of the station, including on future parts of the masterplan itself and any emerging concepts the team introduced.
Temporary challenges
“Being a part of this team, and working on something so big, has been something I’m truly proud of”
One such challenge here – particularly in meeting the future endeavours of the wider project itself – was in proposing temporary materials to cover areas that would later be dedicated to future stages of the masterplan. According to Vafeiadi, the team was “somewhat limited” on its specification of the materials used in these areas, with the stakeholders aware that they would not be in place in the foreseeable future. “In some of these areas, during works we had to propose temporary materials such as a timber screening, which could form the barrier between the pedestrian and service areas at low level,” she explains. This reportedly not only saved time and costs, but presented the opportunity to create some public art relating to the station’s history and location.
Sustainability
Another key area of the brief was sustainability – ensuring that there was as little environmental impact of any additions as possible, while improving any aspects where achievable. “We considered the project’s sustainability from the outset, Atkins focusing largely on the material choices – making sure that all of our proposals considered first their environmental impact and sustainability properties – something
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
we always feel is important to discuss from the onset of every project.”
One particular element that is most notable to visitors to the station, and one that Vafeiadi is particularly fond of, is the green wall proposed along the pedestrian route adjacent to the local playground to the north of the station.
“Not only did this create an attractive and soft area of the facade,” she says, “but it also provided sound and air pollution absorbing properties,” especially important with its proximity to the playground.
Stand-out stakeholder contact When discussing her experience on the station, and working in the transport sector in general, she says the project “definitely stands out.”
She particularly enjoyed the challenge of complementing the historic surroundings around it: “On all sides are these buildings of great importance, and ensuring we maintained a visual relationship with all of them while enhancing the station’s presence as a gateway was a real challenge.” The architect believes that this has been achieved however, with the city “able to reflect that,” with “every visitor able to see it as a part of Newcastle,” somewhere not just to “walk by, but to actually stop.” She attributes much of this success to the long and healthy relationship between the stakeholders, all being heavily involved from the initial stages of the wider development to every stage since, Atkins’ outputs and ideas being seen, read and discussed frequently, not just by the council, the planning department and Building Control to ensure compliance on the complex project, but also by local businesses and historic experts helped ensure its impact remained a positive one. “Being the lead consultant,” says
Vafeiadi, “we were the people bringing all these stakeholders together, addressing their concerns reactively, and delivering something that everybody could be happy with.” She concludes: “From the service lines to the back of house, everyone played an integral part in these meetings, making sure that throughout the process all could utilise the station and its surroundings as they did before, but with a new front, a new vision.” “Being a part of this team, and working on something so important, has been something I’m truly proud of.” g
ADF DECEMBER 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
