The Evaluation Panel commended the edited-down, elemental form of 7N Architects’ scheme, which by modest means provided shelter to the platform, a clear civic presence, and a simple direct connection with the local community and landscape. The approach went back to basics and deconstructed the idea of what constituted small to medium-sized railway stations and had a strong, simple under-lying logic.
In the design aesthetic, the Panel thought that 7N Architects had achieved a good balance of national brand versus local identity. A clear delineation was envisaged in which the trackside elements would provide a consistent national architectural language, with landside elements flexing to reflect local identity and community.
Panel members thought the design had been cleverly pared back to create an open and flexible system which, with minimum component parts, would transform people’s experience of the station. Some elements will require development at the next stage to ensure the widest possible applicability.
The Evaluation Panel felt the developed design concept had distilled a hugely complex problem to a simple open system, with the potential to both depict a confident modern transport system and strengthen connection with the communities in which the railway stations are embedded.
