Images credited to Crossrail Limited
The joint venture of Ferrovial Agroman with BAM and Kier (BFK) has carried out works on enhancing the iconic architectural new ceiling at Farringdon Station in London.
The Upper Apse architecture was designed in order to reflect the local heritage surrounding Farringdon Station throughout the new ticket halls. The new ceiling is largely sloped with an incline of 20 degrees and has been constructed with 425 tonnes of concrete segments. They link to form a diamond-shaped pattern, which has been inspired by local jewellery retailers, Hatton Gardens.
The temporary works design used for the installation of the new ceiling faced a series of challenges, including the additional support of two 71 tonne steel trusses for a temporary period, the out-of-balance loads caused by a precast beam geometry skewed on plan and the need for plans to allow concurrent work in surrounding areas.
The high profile works and their proximity to a live Network Rail station has given great importance to close collaboration between the client, London Underground and Network Rail and clear consistent communications of all stages of design and installation.
Section Manager, Duarte de Seixas, described this work as an "example of perfect architectural and engineering symbiosis", adding that he was particularly proud of BFK’s ability to bring the vision to reality: "This impressive delivery will certainly leave a valuable legacy behind."The installation of these works will feature on BBC2 under "£15bn Railway – season 2" (date to be confirmed). If you’d like to see the team at work before watching the show, click here.
