It’s all change at Euston station as starchitects line up for revamp
THE “starchitects” behind projects such as the British Museum’s Great Court, the Eden Project and Gateshead’s Millennium Bridge have been shortlisted to design the revamped Euston station.
Global firms including those founded by architects Sir Norman Foster and Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, plus Chris Wilkinson and Jim Eyre, have been lined up.
The shortlist was announced by HS2 Ltd, which is responsible for the £2.25 billion redesign, to mark the 180th anniversary of Euston station today.
The transformation of the station, with six new high-speed platforms ready by 2026 and five more by 2033, will start this year with work on the HS2 rail link.
Euston opened in 1837 as London’s first intercity train station. It originally consisted of two platforms — with trains running just to Birmingham — but expanded rapidly in the Victorian era.
The station was completely rebuilt in the early Sixties and now caters for 42 million passengers a year — more than double its capacity.
The redevelopment, which has faced local opposition, will triple the number of train seats out of the station and provide extra route capacity.
The wider regeneration of the area could include 3,800 new homes, office space, shops, restaurants and cafes, and create 14,000 jobs.
A key feature is that external walls will no longer enclose the entire station, allowing people to walk through it whether they are taking a train or not.
The shortlisted firms have a track record of major international projects. Foster and Partners, which is working with Arcadis, built the Millau viaduct in France, Berlin’s new Reichstag building, the British Museum’s Great Court and Canary Wharf Tube station.
Grimshaw, with Arup, was behind St Petersburg airport in Russia and Cornwall’s Eden Project. Wilkinson Eyre, with WSP, built Gateshead’s Millennium Bridge and is working on Battersea Power Station. The winner will be announced early next year.
Camden council said: “We want to see a comprehensive approach to the redevelopment of Euston station that integrates plans for HS2, Crossrail 2, the current Network Rail station and the Underground, as this could provide at least 2,000 much-needed homes, around 15,000 jobs and replacement open space.”
Tom Venner, leading the wider Euston development for HS2, said: “The shortlisting of such strong contenders for the Euston design and development jobs is a major step forward for the project.”