黑洞社区

Architects John McAslan and HOK will work to improve designs for two Crossrail stations in the London borough of Ealing on behalf of the local council.

In a statement released today, Ealing Council said it was unhappy with current designs by Bennetts Associates and revealed that it had parachuted the two 鈥渨orld renowned鈥� firms to work on Ealing Broadway and Southall Crossrail stations.

Bennetts Associates responded by complaining of a 鈥渃onstraint on brief and budget鈥�.

The announcement follows the row over the design quality of stations outside central London on the 拢15bn line.

Last month, 黑洞社区 exclusively revealed that the design of 27 surface stations outside of central London were not being independently design reviewed, sparking a warning from Richard Rogers that rail bosses were missing a once-in-a-century chance to produce stations that will stand the test of time.

McAslan 鈥� the architect behind the much-lauded redevelopment of King鈥檚 Cross station 鈥� will work on Southall station while HOK will work on Ealing Broadway.

Julian Bell, leader of Ealing council, said: 鈥淭he council is also determined to ensure that we get the best possible station designs because they will be significant buildings in our town centres and experience shows good design brings greater regeneration benefits. 

鈥淲e have had lots of success influencing the interior plans for the station and I firmly believe we can work with Crossrail to develop an innovative design that will significantly improve what is proposed without significantly increasing costs or delaying construction by even a day.鈥�

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport and environment, added: 鈥淭he current design for the outside of the station won鈥檛 ignite a yearning passion in the hearts of anyone in Ealing. Our architects will make a useful contribution so that we can continue to push to get the best looking and most practical station we can.鈥�

Referring to Ealing Broadway, a council spokesperson added: 鈥淭he council recognises this is a difficult site鈥�however, the council is unhappy with the plans for the exterior of the station and believes that the fa莽ade and entrance need to have a more innovative design and use more interesting materials. 

鈥淣ew designs will seek to improve the look and feel of the station building. This will include [HOK] redesigning the canopy and fa莽ade of the proposed station so that it is visually more striking, creates more of a landmark and enhances the surrounding area.鈥�

Referring to Southall, the spokesperson added McAlsan would work to improve the 鈥渧isual appearance鈥� of the station and access.

鈥淚n particular, the council wants to harness the station鈥檚 contribution to the wider regeneration of the area, including proposed developments at Southall Gas Works, Middlesex Business Park and the town centre sites,鈥� the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Bennetts Associates said: 鈥淭he real issue here is the constraint on brief and budget.  The local authorities鈥� criticisms stem from Crossrail鈥檚 comprehensive spending review some time ago, which led to much reduced scope for several outlying stations. 

鈥淚f the feedback from the local authorities through their architects leads to a more ambitious brief and an appropriate budget, we would be delighted to use our design ability and in-depth knowledge of Crossrail鈥檚 requirements to improve the stations and their immediate environment for all concerned.鈥�

Crossrail has also been contacted for comment.