New Street

Date:

18 February 2008

Press release contact:

Julia Davies
T: +44 (0)113 234 1335
E: julia.davies@inst.riba.org

Shortlist announced: Visionary Concept Designer for the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street Station and its environs

The shortlist is announced for the selection of a Visionary Concept Designer to develop the overarching building vision for the redevelopment of Birmingham's New Street Station and surrounding area.

The New Street Gateway partnership, which involves Network Rail; Birmingham City Council; Advantage West Midlands and Centro (West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive), was delighted by the response to the first stage of the competition. Forty-seven (47) Expressions of Interest were received from designers in the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States of America.

The six short-listed teams (in alphabetical order) are as follows:
- CRAB Studio
- Foreign Office Architects
- IDOM UK Ltd
- LAB architecture studio
- UNStudio
- Rafael Vinoly Architects

The Jury Panel consisted of representatives from the partner organisations together with Christophe Egret (Studio Egret West) acting as the RIBA Architect Adviser. The Panel selected designers which they felt would have the vision to create something special, resulting in a rejuvenated New Street Station that will raise Birmingham's profile, act as a gateway for passengers to the City and a catalyst to the ongoing regeneration and economic development of the region. Furthermore, the Panel needed to be confident in each short-listed team's ability to generate an inspirational design, with a legible external presence.

Commenting on the shortlist, Clive Dutton (Director of Planning & Development, Birmingham City Council) said: 'The station is the beating heart of the city. Its design must be breath-taking and lift the spirit. Any one of these architects is capable of creating something mind-blowing. What an unbelievably exciting prospect.'

The six short-listed teams will present their vision for a regenerated New Street Station to the Jury Panel at final interview in mid-April 2008. The winner will need to be capable of producing an exceptional and functional design that will portray the dynamic, international character of modern day Birmingham. The winner will also need to have the passion and design skill to maintain a strong architectural language for the vision throughout its stages of design development, as well as being able to work within an Integrated Project Team on a scheme of the scale and complexity of the New Street Station regeneration project.

Notes to editors

- Please ensure the RIBA is credited when mentioning the above competition. The RIBA Competitions Office offers a tailored competition management service delivering excellence in design. For further details visit www.architecture.com/competitions|.

- Gateway is a £598 scheme. The New Street Gateway Steering Committee has now secured nearly £400 million to fund the redevelopment. A further £200 million will come from private sector investment.

The Department for Transport has committed £160m from its Regional Funding Allocation and the Advantage West Midlands (AWM) committed £100m. The Government announced a first tranche of £128m in July 2007.

New Street Gateway will see the 1960's built station undergo a dramatic redevelopment, transforming the dark, crowded underground station into a bright, modern 21st Century transport hub for Birmingham and the West Midlands region.
The Project will double passenger capacity of the station, relieving congestion and be a catalyst for creating more than 5,000 jobs. The Project will redevelop and regenerate the area around the station and will include better pedestrian connections right across the city centre.

The New Street Gateway Steering Group is made up of representatives from: Birmingham City Council; Network Rail; Centro WMPTA and Advantage West Midlands.