London, England--A national architectural
award in the United Kingdom has drawn attention to the innovative "bird in
flight," 525-foot reflective aluminum roof over the bus interchange located directly
above the North Greenwich Station of the Jubilee Line Extension. The recently completed
terminal has bays for 16 buses and handles 76 departures and some 3,000 passengers an
hour, yet its roof appears as airy and as light as a bird in flight.
The architect is the renowned Sir Norman Foster, a noted designer of public buildings
such as the new glass-covered German Reichstag (Parliament) in Berlin.
Unique Features
Triangular markings on the "wings" and along the center of the roof are
perforations in the reflective aluminum that bring natural light into the deepest recesses
of the facility. They are edged with curved streamlined tips, emphasizing their wing-like
appearance. They are practical as well, shedding rainwater and bringing outside light into
the building.
The unique lighting system of the terminal exploits the reflective surface of aluminum.
Suspended from the ceilings, the dual-function aluminum lighting units both shine up to
the reflective aluminum ceiling panels and spotlight the area immediately below.
The terminal station combines the requirements of London Underground and London
Transport Buses on the site of an abandoned former refining plant for coal gas. North
Greenwich Station is situated on one of the largest brownfield development sites in
London, beginning a long-term process of regeneration of the previously derelict Greenwich
Peninsula.
The Millennium Dome had not been built at the time the facility was commissioned, but
now nine million visitors are expected to use the station during the celebrations next
year. During peak periods, the interchange has an hourly capacity of 76 buses, 24
underground trains, 100 taxis, and a parking area to serve 1,000 commuters from the
southeast as they transfer onto the city's public transport network.
The transport interchange is described as a vital element in London's transport
strategy for the next century.
More Innovation
Another innovation for bus terminals, still on the drawing board, is reported from
Edinburgh, Scotland, where environment-friendly small electric buses may be powered by a
giant solar-paneled roof above the city's main railway station.
Plans to turn the roof of Waverley Station into a $17 million sunroof, which could
power almost 150 electric buses or trams, were unveiled last month by a Scottish firm. The
proposal, which has been produced by the Center for Ecological Technology and
Architecture, would make the 37,000-square-meter (121,000-square-foot) surface the world's
largest solar-powered roof. The Waverley roof was selected as the ideal site for the giant
solar power station, which its architects claim could power public transport around the
city center.
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