Grimshaw's latest design for London Euston HS2 station revealed

Architecture firm Grimshaw has designed a "bold geometric roof" in its latest plans to bring HS2 high-speed railway to London's Euston station.

Grimshaw is partnering with engineering firms Arup and WSP on the overhaul of Euston, which will transform the railway station into a major high-speed railway terminus.

Set over three levels, the expanded station will feature the largest station concourse in the UK and will be served by up to 17 high-speed trains per hour.

The designs have significantly changed from visuals released in 2018. The new addition of a folded, angular roof is intended to give the station a distinct identity while also allowing natural light to flood the interior.

Roof components will be prefabricated off-site and installed using modular construction technologies, to help reduce carbon emissions, lower costs and minimise disruption to the existing railway service.

Grimshaw's latest design features a "bold geometric roof"

The HS2 train platforms will be set below ground level, freeing up the station hall to become a 300-metre-long public concourse that links with public plazas and gardens to both the north and the south.

Retail spaces will be provided on both the ground and first floors.

"The scale of the new HS2 London Euston station means we have the opportunity to create a new truly public civic space for London, a place that responds to transport and passenger needs and becomes part of the existing urban fabric and community," said Declan McCafferty, partner at Grimshaw.

"The 300-metre long station hall sits at the heart of this approach, creating a space that is permeable, accessible and open and connects to the local streets and neighbourhoods through green, pedestrian-oriented spaces."

Major gateway to north and midlands

The works will position Euston as a major gateway to destinations in the midlands and the north.

The HS2 station will feature 10 subsurface platforms, while the existing Network Rail station will remain in operation.

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There will also be a new London Underground ticket hall connecting both Euston and Euston Square Tube stations, providing links to the Northern, Victoria, Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan Lines.

Entrances will be located on the north, south and west sides of the station, and will be linked to new cycle routes and 2,000 cycle parking spaces.

Euston Square Gardens will be upgraded and a new public green space will be created to the north. Housing provision is also included within the plans.

Opportunity for "a new piece of the city"

"HS2's London Euston station is one of the most complex parts of the HS2 route, situated in a densely populated residential area and adjacent to a busy operational railway," said Laurence Whitbourn, Euston area client director at HS2.

"HS2 Ltd is absolutely committed to getting Euston right, engaging with the local community and stakeholders as we continue to progress our designs," he continued.

"With the arrival of HS2, Euston is fast becoming one of the largest transport-led regeneration projects of the 21st century. Across a site of over 60 acres we have the unique opportunity to work with stakeholders and partners to create a new piece of the city creating thousands of jobs, new homes and areas of green public space."

Building work will be carried out by MDJV, a partnership between contractors Mace and Dragados.

The station will be built in a single phase to reduce the length of the construction period. The target is to achieve a BREEAM outstanding sustainability rating.

Public consultation begins

The project will go through an 18-month period of public consultation before it progresses.

"The arrival of HS2 at Euston provides a once in a lifetime opportunity to create an iconic destination in the area, that will help us build back better by growing not just the economy of London but that of the UK," said Andrew Stephenson, the government's HS2 minister.

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"This station will not only benefit the local community by enabling the comprehensive redevelopment of the area but will serve as a transport super hub acting as a gateway to the midlands and the north – enabling us to deliver better railways across the nation sooner than under previous plans," he said.

Once complete, HS2 will provide high-speed connections between the UK's four biggest cities, London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. It will also connect the towns of Crewe and Wigan.

Other structures being created for the network include the Water Orton viaducts, designed by Weston Williamson + Partners to sit above a "community-led orchard", and a ventilation shaft disguised as a barn, designed by Grimshaw.

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6a Architects to overhaul Grimshaw's Grand Union House offices

London studio 6a Architects has revealed its plans to renovate and extend a vacant office in Camden that forms part of the Grand Union Complex designed by Grimshaw in the late 1980s.

Expected to complete in 2023, the project will involve refurbishing and extending the office, named Grand Union House, to create 6,500 square metres of modern workspace.

Alongside the offices, 6a Architects will introduce three flexible commercial units and six affordable apartments, while improving the surrounding public space.

Design responds to "post-COVID city"

The project, approved by Camden Council, is being developed by 6a Architects in collaboration with the London developer Sellar, which acquired Grand Union House in 2006.

The office forms part of the Grand Union Complex, a campus designed for Sainsbury's between 1986 and 1988 by Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, the British studio now known as Grimshaw. The complex also includes the high-tech Sainsbury's supermarket and terraced Grand Union Canal Walk Housing, both of which are Grade II*-listed.

Grand Union House was intended for light industrial use but it was only ever used as office space due to limited site access.

6a Architects has revealed its plans to renovate Grand Union House

According to 6a Architects, the redevelopment of the office will reference the high-tech architecture of the adjacent listed buildings, which feature industrial materials and expressed structural elements.

However, the priority of the design is occupant wellbeing, through will be enhanced through the provision of natural light and ventilation, as well as extensive planting and winter gardens.

According to the studio, this is a response to a change in workstyles that has been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Our design takes a holistic approach to making workspace for the post-COVID city, addressing wellbeing, ecology and biodiversity by ensuring access to landscape, daylight and fresh air," said Tom Emerson of 6a architects.

Adaptive reuse will reduce carbon footprint

Another key element of the proposal is the preservation of the Grand Union House's existing structure, which is made from concrete.

According to Sellar, this is to minimise the project's embodied carbon and offer a "benchmark for sustainable, low-carbon development in London".

The office forms part of the same complex as the Grand Union Canal Walk Housing. Photo is by Chris Redgrave for Historic England

"Another key focus for us has been the substantial carbon saving we can make in the construction of Grand Union House by retrofitting the existing building rather than knocking it down and starting from scratch," explained Sellar's chief executive James Sellar.

Embodied carbon refers to the emissions that result from the manufacturing, construction, maintenance and demolition of buildings, which are currently unregulated in the UK. By reusing existing structures, these emissions can be reduced.

Public realm to be enhanced

The Grand Union House overhaul will be complete with updates to its surrounding site, which Sellar said currently has an unwelcoming atmosphere and is prone to anti-social behaviour.

This will improve connectivity to the surrounding area and conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. Planted areas will also be introduced.

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"The project will also bring about a transformation of the surrounding public realm through extensive planting that will enhance the local environment for pedestrians and cyclists," concluded Emerson of 6a Architects.

"By integrating workspace interiors, architecture and urban landscaping, the proposals will create a new social and ecological place."

Elsewhere in London, insurance company Lloyd's of London is planning a renovation of its office – the high-tech Lloyd's building in London designed by Richard Rogers.

The overhaul will prioritise the iconic Underwriting Room at the heart of Lloyd's building to tailor it to the firm's flexible working styles following the coronavirus pandemic.

The visual of Grand Union House is by 6a Architects.

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Grimshaw's "completely OTT" Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai caused "significant unnecessary emissions"

A sustainable construction consultant has attacked Grimshaw Architects' Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai for having an embodied carbon footprint of almost 18 tonnes – a figure that is double the recommended level for a building of its size.

Simon Sturgis, a consultant who advises on low-carbon construction, described the building's carbon footprint as "very high" and said its design is "completely OTT".

Above and top: Grimshaw's pavilion sits in the Sustainability District of Expo 2020 Dubai

Its spectacular steel canopy is responsible for "significant unnecessary emissions," said Sturgis, who runs low-carbon consultancy Targeting Zero.

"This design is not where you would start if you wanted to make a truly sustainable Sustainability Pavilion."

A lifecycle assessment sent to Dezeen by Grimshaw Architects shows that the construction process caused carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions of 1,050 kilogrammes per square metre, despite claims that the building would "set an example for sustainable building design".

Sturgis said the building is "comparable with a typical, average, new, multi-storey office building" in terms of its carbon footprint.

The pavilion, called Terra, has a built area of 17,000 square metres, meaning it has an embodied carbon footprint of 17,850,000 kilogrammes, or 17.85 metric tonnes.

Building is self-sufficient in energy and water

Grimshaw's pavilion is one of three flagship structures at Expo 2020 Dubai, which opened earlier this month, a year later than planned due to the pandemic.

Containing 6,000 square metres of exhibition space, it sits at the heart of the Expo's Sustainability District and promises to show visitors "how we can change our everyday choices to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact".

Made of steel, concrete and carbon fibre, the pavilion is shaded by a giant 130-metre-wide oval canopy topped with photovoltaics. Further photovoltaics are arranged on funnel-shaped structures surrounding the pavilion.

"The iconic Sustainability Pavilion, designed by the world-renowned Grimshaw Architects, has set an example for sustainable building design" explained the Expo's PR, who said the building is "net-zero for both energy and water."

The pavilion's steel-and-concrete canopy is topped with photovoltaics

This means that it does not rely on the electricity or water grid. Instead, it generates power via its rooftop photovoltaics and derives clean water by recycling wastewater, condensation and brackish surface water.

"The pavilion also uses cutting-edge water-reduction strategies, water recycling and alternative water," said the PR.

Grimshaw Architects chairman Andrew Whalley described the project as "an opportunity for the UAE to showcase innovations in energy efficiency, generation and water management for the region and deliver an aspirational message about the natural world and technology to a global audience."

Whalley added that the building was designed so that only minor alterations will be required to turn the building into a permanent sustainability museum at the end of the six-month expo.

"We expect this will be a 50-to-100-year building," he said.

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The building has achieved LEED Platinum certification, which is the highest level available under the LEED sustainability certification system. It has also achieved LEED Zero Energy and LEED Zero Water certification.

LEED targets are "more nuanced and specific to the building design and usage requirements" than other standards that focus on embodied carbon, Whalley said.

However, LEED's scoring system is seen as being skewed towards rewarding operational performance rather than construction performance, despite the fact that embodied carbon accounts for around half the lifecycle emissions of a building.

Grimshaw prioritised decarbonisation of operational carbon

"When the building was originally designed in 2015, we prioritised the decarbonisation of operational carbon for the building, particularly as it was located in the Middle East," Whalley told Dezeen.

"Embodied carbon evaluation is a relatively new field, and the measurements and benchmarks are very much in flux and can vary significantly by building type and region," he added.

"As knowledge of this area increases then benchmarks and targets are changing."

Grimshaw expects the pavilion to be a 50-to-100-year building

Whalley pointed out that the pavilion's embodied carbon footprint represents "a 41 per cent reduction from an equivalent new building in the region."

He added that the lifecycle assessment, which was carried out by Buro Happold, "includes an assessment of embodied carbon but also goes beyond that to consider other important potential material impacts such as ozone depletion and impacts on marine environments."

Pavilion's embodied carbon is double the target set by LETI

Sustainable buildings should aim for embodied carbon footprints of between 400 and 500 kg per square metre, according to the Embodied Carbon Primer published by the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI).

"Surely to be worthy of the name Sustainability Pavilion it should be in this zone and not double," said Sturgis.

By comparison, Sturgis pointed to Hopkins Architects' recent Living Planet Centre for the UK branch of the World Wildlife Fund, which has an embodied carbon footprint of less than 500 kg per square metre.

Simon Sturgis described the canopy as "completely OTT" and "directly responsible for significant unnecessary emissions"

But Whalley argued that the building could not be compared to typical residential or commercial buildings and said the targets set by LETI are not appropriate.

"Terra is a very usage-intensive building and does not benefit from a regularity of form or economy of scale that a typical residential or commercial building does," he explained.

"The floor loading requirements are much higher than a residential building for instance, due to the potential uses of the spaces and levels of peak occupancy."

"Likewise, finishes and MEP [mechanical, electrical and plumbing] requirements are also required to be of a higher specification, which tends to lead to higher embodied carbon."

Sturgis said the steel-and-concrete canopy was "completely OTT".

"You have a huge density of steel and concrete structure at the roof centre, which is completely OTT in relation to the type of building it is trying to be," he said.

"This decision alone, to cantilever the roof, is directly responsible for significant unnecessary emissions."

Low-carbon materials "nothing special for a Sustainability Pavilion"

Sturgis said that the building's use of recycled steel and ground granulated blast-furnace slag to replace some of the cement cement "is normal for an office building but is nothing special for a Sustainability Pavilion".

"What about the use of sustainable materials like timber instead of all the concrete and steel?" Sturgis asked.

"This a standard 20th-century modernist design which is trying to be squeezed into a 21st-century sustainability pot," Sturgis concluded. "No amount of photovoltaics will fix that. The design needs to start from a completely different place."

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Sturgis pointed out that Grimshaw Architects is a signatory to climate action group Architects Declare but said its design for the pavilion "suggests that they do not understand what this means. Where is the innovation fit for today?"

The built environment is responsible for 40 per cent of global emissions, with embodied carbon emitted by construction supply chains responsible for around half of those.

Next month's COP26 climate conference will see the embodied carbon emissions from the sector come under the spotlight for the first time at a dedicated built environment day.

Despite being an Architects Declare signatory, Grimshaw Architects is among hundreds of practices that have failed to sign up to the RIBA's 2030 Climate Challenge, which helps firms plot a path to designing net-zero buildings.

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grimshaw’s sustainability pavilion at expo dubai generates its own energy and water

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Grimshaw tops Dubai Expo Sustainability Pavilion with giant "energy tree"

UK studio Grimshaw has designed a pavilion topped with a 135-metre-wide, solar-panel-covered canopy to anchor the sustainability district at the Dubai Expo.

Named Terra, the pavilion stands at one of the main entrances to the site and generates all its own water and energy.

The Sustainability Pavilion stands near one of the expo's entrances

Designed as the main permanent building within the sustainability district, the pavilion contains 6,000 square metres of exhibition spaces that are largely embedded in the ground.

These spaces are covered with earth roofs and shaded by a giant tree-like canopy made from 97 per cent recycled steel that supports more than 1,055 solar panels.

It is sheltered by a large tree-like structure

Informed by the drought-tolerant Ghaf Tree, this angled, oval-shaped canopy is supported on a central column.

The structure forms a key part of the studio's strategy to create a building that is self-sufficient in both water and electricity.

It is topped with solar panels

The solar panels on the main canopy, along with eighteen smaller, rotating Energy Trees that surround it, are expected to generate four gigawatt hours of electricity annually.

Grimshaw's Sustainability Pavilion was also designed to reuse 100 per cent of the water it uses.

The canopy provides shade for the buildings containing the exhibitions. Photo by Tom Ravenscroft

The main canopy acts as a collection area for stormwater and dew, while further water is captured in smaller water trees surrounding the main structure.

Also surrounding the main building are a series of gardens planted to create a water-efficient landscape that is used to filter, supply and recycle water.

"Key to our design approach was developing a ranked matrix of project and place-based potential, leading the team to prioritise designs, which will have the greatest potential to yield positive transformational change for our client and the communities in which the project is situated," explained the studio.

"For this project, we can point to both the combination of passive design strategies, energy efficiency optimizations and on-site energy generation, as well as the on-site water reuse as the key prioritizations."

Gardens surrounding the pavilion contain Energy Trees. Photo is by Tom Ravenscroft

The pavilion is arranged around the column supporting the tree-like canopy. An open courtyard is wrapped around the column, with the exhibition spaces contained in a series of concrete structures embedded in the ground.

The external walls of the exhibition halls were constructed from gabion walls filled with stone from the Hajar Mountains.

Exhibits show natural environments and demonstrate the impact humans are having

The pavilion's immersive exhibitions were designed by New York-based designers Thinc in collaboration with the Eden Project.

In the galleries, visitors will be taken on a journey into the world's forests and sea and be shown the impact humans are having on the world.

After the expo, the pavilion will become a museum

The pavilion was built for Emirati real estate development company Emaar Properties and will contain exhibits focused on sustainability throughout the six-month expo.

Following the event, the building will be converted into a permanent museum dedicated to science and sustainability.

The Dubai Expo is the latest World Expo – an international exhibition designed to showcase architecture and innovation.

The six-month event will see contributions from 180 countries, including pavilions from the UK and the Netherlands, as well as the Qatar Pavilion and the UAE Pavilion by Santiago Calatrava.

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grimshaw selected competition winner with design of undulating shenzhen airport terminal

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