Birmingham New Street Grand Central roof
Birmingham, UK · 2009–2015 · £750m (2015 prices)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchUse of a modular 'service spine' prefabrication to save working hours and reduce carbon emissions. - Development of 'Mega Muncher' for quiet demolition, reducing program time. - Implementation of an online monitoring system with strain gauges and load cells for 18 new columns to ensure existing foundations were not overloaded during construction of the John Lewis store. - Use of hydraulic flat jacks to relieve load in existing concrete columns by jacking load into new steel columns. - Careful planning of steel erection, concrete casting, and load transfer sequencing. - Dispute between AZPML and Network Rail over material changes (stainless steel to aluminium, plasterwork to fabric) which AZPML claimed compromised the design intent.
Key engineering challenges
Maintaining a fully operational railway station (busiest interchange in UK) throughout the construction. - Building a new retail complex (John Lewis store) above an existing station structure, requiring load sharing and monitoring to prevent overloading existing foundations. - Transferring 200 tonnes of steel for the atrium roof in a confined city-center site. - Dealing with crumbling 1960s concrete and asbestos in the existing structure. - Designing a complex ETFE clad atrium roof and a reflective stainless-steel facade.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Network Rail, Birmingham City Council, Department for Transport, Centro
- Lead contractor
- Mace (delivery partner), Severfield-Watson (steelwork)
- Lead designers
- AZPML (architecture), Atkins (structural engineer)
- Project type
- upgrade | new build | refurbishment
- Scale
- New concourse five times the size of original; triple-height atrium; ETFE "bubble" roof; 200 tonnes of steel transferred for atrium roof; 140,000+ passengers daily.
- Disciplines
- Civil; structural; architectural; railway engineering; retail development; urban planning
- Standards & frameworks
- UK Building Regulations; Network Rail standards
Sources: Network Rail Media Centre: Grand Central and Birmingham New Street to open in September 2015 (https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/grand-central-and-birmingham-new-street-to-open-in-september-2015) - Mace Group: Birmingham New Street Station Refurbishment (https://www.macegroup.com/projects/birmingham-new-street-station-refurbishment/) - Dezeen: AZPML's light-filled Grand Central Birmingham station opens (https://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/29/grand-central-birmingham-new-street-station-uk-england-azpml-alejandro-zaera-polo/) - SteelConstruction.info: Birmingham New Street Station Redevelopment (https://www.steelconstruction.info/Birmingham_New_Street_Station_Redevelopment)