The New Street Station complex is not only one of the UK's largest rail hubs, but also the most inconvenient for passengers. Its building was built in the 1960s in the spirit of brutalism, and now it can no longer cope with its function as an important transport terminal.
Network Rail, together with the city council, has developed a £ 600 million Birmingham Gateway program that will increase the main station hall by 3.5 times and create a spacious atrium there, create a new facade with three main entrances (there will be 8), as well as a new square in front of the building.
After the completion of the reconstruction in 2014, the passenger traffic through the New Street Station will increase to 52 million people a year.
The project "Foreign Office Akitects" was recognized as the best in the architectural competition. The architects proposed covering the building with strips of polished metal and installing giant digital screens over its main entrances. The huge atrium will fill the interior of the station with sunlight. According to the authors, the project is inspired by the beauty of the Birmingham skyline, as well as by the movement of people and trains in the space of the New Street station.
In the final of the competition, FOA rivals were, among others, Rafael Vignoli and UN Studio.
