Andrew HARRIS / Timur TATLIOGLU
(URS Scott Wilson, London, United Kingdom)
Outline: The main objective of the project has to been to develop a high-quality design for the new Crossrail station at the existing Grade-I listed Paddington Station, London. The project has involved the work of built heritage specialists whose historical research and liaison with the local planning authority have informed the design of the streetscape to the south of the station.
Abstract: Crossrail is a new 118km urban railway being constructed across central London, UK. The new railway passes underground through the heart of the West End of London and provides new station locations connecting with existing mainline railway stations including the Grade I listed Paddington Station.
Paddington Station is a masterpiece of Victorian railway engineering and was completed in 1854 to the designs of I K Brunel and Digby Wyatt. It is the London terminus of the London to Bristol Great Western Railway which is on the UK’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites. The new Crossrail station provides an interchange between the Grade I listed mainline station, the existing London underground stations and the new underground Crossrail station. The pedestrian interchange involves physical insertions into Brunel’s station building and a significant intervention into the Departures Road streetscape alongside the station buildings.
This paper will be organised in two parts. The first will describe the process of historical research and its contribution to our understanding of Brunel’s design intention and the evolution of the surrounding streetscape to the present day.
The second part of the paper explores the use of Heritage Deeds, an important device enacted by the Crossrail Act 2008, which set aside usual statutory requirements such as listed building consent, and have ensured the smooth running of the project. It will be shown how the use and flexibility of Heritage Deeds have helped to accommodate design changes and negotiation with the LPA.
These two important parts of the scheme, linked directly to the management of cultural heritage, have led to a close working relationship between the heritage professionals and the wider multi-disciplinary team including structural engineers and architects. The result has led to a sympathetic design that has reduced impacts within the envelope of the Grade-I listed station.
Keywords: Heritage research; Multidisciplinary co-operation; Heritage Deeds; Heritage Method Statements; Infrastructure and Public Realm