Abbey Wood Station Redevelopment
Abbey Wood, London, UK · 2013–2017 (old station demolished May 2015, new station reopened Oct 2017) · £130m (for main construction contract)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launch* Design inspired by a manta ray, with wing-shaped canopies and a striking timber roof, creating a unique architectural statement. * Emphasis on placemaking and reuniting local communities through generous flowing stairs and lifts. * Pioneering use of sustainable timber in a new generation of station projects, capturing 190 tonnes of CO2. * Achieved CEEQUAL Excellent Award and BREEAM Very Good rating for sustainability. * Maintained continuity of design vision from concept to completion despite multiple changes in leadership.
Key engineering challenges
* Building a new station over four operational railway tracks. * Constructing a large, complex timber roof structure (50m x 55m) with high-precision CNC prefabrication. * Integrating the new station with existing rail services and local urban environment. * Maintaining rail operations during construction, including installing a temporary interim station.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Crossrail, Network Rail, Transport for London (TfL), The London Borough of Bexley, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Peabody
- Lead contractor
- Balfour Beatty
- Lead designers
- Fereday Pollard Architects
- Project type
- new build
- Scale
- New two-level station; 1,600m2 interior area; 50m x 55m timber roof; 2 new island platforms (260m long); 2 new footbridges; 6 lifts; passenger capacity 52,000 per day.
- Disciplines
- Architecture; civil; structural; mechanical; electrical; geotechnical; landscape architecture
- Standards & frameworks
- Crossrail standards; Network Rail standards; London Underground standards; CDM Regulations; CEEQUAL; BREEAM
Sources: * Railway Technology (2022), "Abbey Wood Station Redevelopment, London, UK", https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/abbey-wood-station/ * Fereday Pollard Architects (Undated), "Abbey Wood Station", https://feredaypollard.com/projects/abbey-wood-station/ * New Civil Engineer (2017), "Video | Tracks complete at Abbey Wood station", https://www.newcivilengineer.com/archive/video-tracks-complete-at-abbey-wood-station-04-05-2017/