New images of Arcadis and WSP-designed amendments show how land around Grimshaw-designed station will look when built
Updated designs for the public realm surrounding HS2’s Curzon Street Station in Birmingham are set to be approved by the local council this week.
Planning officers have recommended a series of upgrades to the proposed landscaping around the Grimshaw-designed station for approval ahead of a planning committee meeting on Thursday.
New images have been published of the revisions, which include increased step-free access, widened cycle routes, new green spaces and improved circulation routes for pedestrians.
The changes, designed by a joint venture between Arcadis and WSP, have responded to amendments to the design of the main station building which were approved last year, including the removal of two entrance points.
Stepped plazas included in a previous version of the station’s public realm strategy have been replaced by a smoother landscape design with more gentle gradients, aiming to improve permeability for station visitors.
The arrival space to the north of the east concourse has also been significantly revised to strengthen its relationship to the adjacent grade I-listed Old Curzon Street Station building.
HS2 said the changes aim to place new emphasis on the Greek Revival-style building, completed in 1838, and turn it into a “key wayfinding landmark” with the plans including a new planted square referencing the site’s heritage.
The application, submitted in February, has also added new planting and seating across the site alongside additional rain gardens as part of an updated flood management strategy.
The main station building, which is currently being built by a joint venture between Mace and Dragados, will stretch for nearly 0.5km across the eastern side of Birmingham city centre and spanning a 15m level change across the site.
Birmingham council approved an array of design changes to the station building in May last year including the removal of the scheme’s proposed timber roof due to fire safety concerns. The roof cassette and roof edge will now be made from aluminium.
Five concourse areas were also reconfigured to improve accessibility and passenger experience.
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