bristol temple meads Station
An early sketch I produced showing how the station's original design dealt with the difficult site levels
My sketches setting out the range of possible interventions in the station
Diagrams i produced exploring options for the new station entrance
Understanding pedestrian movement in and around the station was key to key to identifying the key changes that were needed
Plans of one of our earlier masterplan designs, at ground level and track level. Image © Alan Baxter
Artist's impression of one of our design concepts for the new station. Image © Richard Carman
heritage gateway
Bristol Temple Meads station was originally designed by I. K. Brunel as the original terminus of the Great Western Main Line from Bristol to London. As such, the buildings include the oldest surviving train shed in the world. However, as Bristol itself grows as a key national hub, the station urgently needs to expand to accommodate ever-increasing passenger numbers. In addition, the station sits in the centre of Bristol’s business Enterprise Zone, but currently acts a vast barrier to pedestrian movement across it.
I was the lead masterplanning engineer on the project to develop a design framework to examine how the station could be made fit for the 21st century while preserving its exceptional historic character as a Grade I listed building. We worked with the client’s rail engineers and development managers, together with Bristol’s transport and city planning departments and other key stakeholders, to explore opportunities for the station and surrounding area that would maximise benefits for all.
Key to the proposals was our daring concept of dropping the ground level around the old entrance to create a new spacious concourse beneath the old station buildings. In addition to creating a vibrant new square in front of the station, these new low-level spaces would extend beneath the tracks to connect the north and south sides of the station previously cut off from one another for decades, unlocking the potential of the whole of the Enterprise Zone. The project is ongoing.