Tuesday 14 Jul 2020
Competition launched to shape Britain’s future railway stations
- Region & Route:
- National
Network Rail and RIBA Competitions have today (14 July 2020) launched an international competition to shape the future of Britain’s railway stations.
The competition will provide architects, engineers and designers the chance to improve the travel experience for the millions of passengers who use Britain’s railway, and leave a lasting legacy on station design.
It asks designers to reimagine small to medium-sized stations – which make up 80% of all those on Britain’s railway – so they can better serve the needs of both passengers and their local communities.
The competition encourages entries which stimulate creativity and address the changing character of our society.
In developing proposals, entrants are encouraged to consider how future stations can be sustainable and deliver outstanding value, whilst considering the impact on the environment to achieve net zero emissions to leave a positive legacy for future generations.
Anthony Dewar, head of buildings and architecture at Network Rail, said:
“Fostering creativity and developing an outward-looking, collaborative culture is a key priority for Network Rail, so I’m delighted we are hosting this competition, which gives designers a unique opportunity to leave a lasting legacy on our railway and improve the journeys of millions of passengers through quality design.
Our ambition is to raise the quality of design across the whole rail network as well as responding to the evolving role of infrastructure within communities.
We’re looking forward to welcoming creative and forward-thinking designs which will help us better serve the communities and passengers who rely on our railway."
Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said:
“For two centuries the UK has been at the cutting edge of rail innovation, and our forefathers enticed our towns and cities with some of the most iconic and beautiful stations in the world.
"Harnessing creativity and ambition through competitions like this will help us carry on that great spirit of design that delivers better journeys for passengers.
This competition will help build the railway of tomorrow, ensuring we continue to modernise and improve our railway, making it welcoming and accessible for all passengers.”
Across Britain, there are more than 2,000 small-to-medium stations which vary greatly in terms of design quality and amenities. By improving the overall quality of stations, they can better serve their communities, whilst accommodating potential enhancements to the existing and future passenger experience through good design. Designs should be considered for the adaption of existing stations to better meet passenger requirements, or new-build stations to accommodate the projected increase in demand for rail travel.
The competition is open internationally to individuals and teams from both small and large organisations from the design, built environment and manufacturing industries.
On the judging panel will be:
Lucy Musgrave OBE, (founding director of Publica), Jonathan McDowell (director, Matter Architecture), Chris Wise (senior director, Expedition Engineering), Dinah Casson CBE (RDI designer), Victoria Lee (lead programme manager, Design Council), Paul Beaty-Pownall (managing director, BPR Architects Ltd), Sahar Fikouhi (founder, ARki), Anthony Dewar (professional head of buildings and architecture, Network Rail), Frank Anatole (principal architect, Network Rail) and Ian Grimes (principal engineer, Network Rail).
For further details visit www.ribacompetitions.com/reimaginingrailwaystations/
The closing date for submission of design proposals is 14.00hrs (BST) on Tuesday 15 September 2020.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact:
Julia Davies, RIBA Competitions | Julia.Davies@riba.org | 0113 2031490
Katherine Sandford-Anderson, Sandford PR | katherine@sandfordpr.com | 07802 481996
The competition will be organised in three phases, with the first phase involving the anonymous submission of design proposals. Up to six entrants will be invited to phase two each receiving an honoraria of £20,000 +VAT. In the final phase, up to three entrants will be invited to enter into a services contract to develop their design solutions further with a contract sum of up to £250,000 awarded to each (subject to negotiation).
Network Rail has published a retrospective photographic study of small to medium-sized railway stations across the UK National Rail network HUB – Making places for people and trains. This was produced in conjunction with David Lawrence and Luke O’Donovan with foreword by Sir Simon Jenkins.
The brief for this competition has been informed by the findings of the Design Council’s Think Station Report on the design of future local railway stations – which can be found here.
RIBA Competitions
Please ensure RIBA Competitions is credited when mentioning the above competition. RIBA Competitions delivers choice, inspiration and value to clients through expertly run competitive selection processes. The dedicated RIBA Competitions team can help you explore the full potential of your project, for further information visit www.architecture.com/competitions or email RIBA.Competitions@riba.org.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Architecture.com. Follow @RIBA on Twitter for regular updates www.twitter.com/RIBA
Network Rail – Buildings and Architecture
The Buildings and Architecture team is responsible for setting the standards, policy and long-term planning for Network Rail’s built environment, ensuring the highest design standards are attained whilst preserving and enhancing the legacy of Britain’s railway.
We run a large and diverse operation; responsible for a wide variety of buildings from iconic stations like London Paddington and Glasgow Central to the signal boxes and maintenance depots that are vital in providing a safe and reliable railway for our passengers.
With an outward-looking and collaborative culture, we work closely with the wider design community to develop our approach to quality, sustainable design. In partnership with the Design Council, we’ve created a framework - ‘Principles of Good Design’ - which describes our long-term vision and ambitions.
It is our mission to deliver a better travelling experience for the millions of passengers who use our railway each day through good design, and to provide world-class infrastructure which will consider the individual whilst connecting the nation.
Contact information
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About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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