2008

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St Pancras International wins the Crown Estate Conservation Award

Date:

11 October 2008

Press office contact:

Mina Vadon
T: +44 (0)207 307 3761
E: mina.vadon@inst.riba.org

St Pancras International by Alastair Lansley (for Union Railways) has won the  Crown Estate Conservation Award 2008.

The announcement was made on Saturday 11 October at a special awards ceremony for the RIBA Stirling Prize in association with The Architects' Journal at the BT Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool. The winning practice was presented with a cheque for £5,000 by Roger Bright, Chief Executive of the Crown Estate.


The Crown Estate manages a large and uniquely diverse portfolio of land and buildings across the UK. One of its primary concerns is to demonstrate that conservation is not a dry academic discipline; it is the practical art of making yesterday's buildings work for people today.

 

The design strategy for St Pancreas involved radical intervention – the removal of part of the floor to link the pedestrian circulation in the undercroft (formerly a barrel store) to the train shed above - as well as restoration of the majestic interior of the Barlow and Ordish train shed. It was a brilliant strategy that intentionally establishes the magnificence of the architecture.

 

Speaking about the building, Roger Bright said:

"Enormous care has been taken in restoring the original structure with scholarly reference to historic documentation and skilful consultation and collaboration with the local planning authority, English Heritage and other bodies.  The establishment and maintenance of such relationships were critical to progressing the project. The result is that the Barlow roof now lives up to its billing as the architectural and engineering focus of the building – some would say the best example of its kind in UK railway architecture."

 

The other shortlisted buildings for the award were:

  1. Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds by Levitt Bernstein Associates
  2. The Listed Wind Tunnels, Farnborough by Julian Harrap Architects
  3. De La Warr Pavillion, Bexhill-on-Sea by John McAslan & Partners
  4. Royal Festival Hall, London by Allies and Morrison

Notes to editors

  1. For images and further information please contact Mina Vadon in the RIBA Press Office on 07805 173681, 020 7307 3761 or mina.vadon@inst.riba.org
  2. Full citation follows:

Architect: Alastair Lansley
Client:  Union Railways

Contractor: Mike Whitfield Timber Framing

Contract value: £800million

Date of completion: November 2007

Gross internal area: 116,750 square metres

In a project of awe-inspiring scale and complexity, George Gilbert Scott's station, one of the foremost buildings of the Victorian age, has been transformed into the international rail terminus for London.

It has involved radical intervention – the removal of part of the floor to link the pedestrian circulation in the undercroft (formerly a barrel store) to the trainshed above - as well as restoration of the majestic interior of the Barlow and Ordish train shed. It was a brilliant strategy that intentionally establishes the magnificence of the architecture.

The design strategy had both coherence and drama but its delivery was equally commendable. The construction was undertaken in the context of enormous logistical complexity. The integration of a new major transport terminus with the existing services was a huge challenge in both technical and architectural terms. The architect had to create a routing system that gave the passengers directional clarity and clear connections between Eurostar, the London Underground, East Midlands, First Capital Connect and Southeastern rail services.  There was a further ambition to make St Pancras a wonderful and memorable destination in its own right, complete with the longest champagne bar in the world.  What is more, shopping and signage have been controlled in a way never seen before at a British transport interchange.

The regrettable destruction of the Midland Road elevation necessitated by the massive works to construct the below-ground Capital Connect (formerly Thameslink) station, but its meticulous reconstruction shows it is possible to recapture the qualities of the original if the work is carried out with sufficient integrity of materials, detailing and workmanship.

Enormous care has been taken in restoring the original structure with scholarly reference to historic documentation and skilful consultation and collaboration with the local planning authority, English Heritage and other bodies.  The establishment and maintenance of such relationships were critical to progressing the project.  The result is that the Barlow roof now lives up to its billing as the architectural and engineering focus of the building – some would say the best example of its kind in UK railway architecture.

  1. The RIBA Stirling Prize in association with The Architects' Journalis the UK's most prestigious architectural prize and is awarded annually to the architects of the building which has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year.  The RIBA awards programme was re-organised in 2007 in a pyramid structure.   The RIBA Awards are judged and presented locally and the the RIBA National Awards are judged and presented nationally.  The RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist is selected following further visits to winners of the RIBA National Awards and of RIBA European Awards for buildings in the rest of the EU
  2. From 2008 the RIBA Stirling Prize becomes a 'built or designed in Britain' All RIBA Award winners can be seen at www.architecture.com
  3. All RIBA Award winners can be seen at www.architecture.com
  4. The RIBA Awards and RIBA Stirling Prize are managed by the RIBA Trust. The RIBA Trust manages the cultural assets of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), including the internationally recognised collections of the British Architectural Library. It is the UK's national architecture centre, delivering the RIBA Awards and RIBA Stirling Prize (live on Channel 4); the Royal Gold Medal; International and Honorary Fellowships; Architecture Week (with Arts Council England and the Architecture Centre Network); a full programme of lectures, exhibitions, tours and other events; and an education programme.
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