As someone who has worked on transport hubs around the globe, John McAslan, executive chairman of international architecture studio John McAslan + Partners (JMP) believes well-designed transport hubs are not only about improving traveller experience but also play a critical role in shaping cities by driving urban growth and regeneration.
Currently, Sydney Central station is used by more than 270,000 people every day, making it Australia's busiest train station. When work on the new Sydney Central Metro – designed by JMP in association with Woods Bagot – is completed next year, this number will rise to 450,000 a day. JMP's work on Sydney Central Metro is informed by the practice's highly awarded work on London's Kings Cross, with both stations merging striking contemporary architecture with heritage buildings to create new 'urban rooms' that welcome visitors to their respective cities.
McAslan, who has designed transport hubs in the UK, USA, Doha, India and Australia, says, “The world’s leading cities, Sydney among them, are under extraordinary pressure in terms of the development of transport infrastructure in relation to urban fabric. With 96 percent of Sydney train services currently calling at Central Station, this interchange performs a critical function and impression of the city.”
Similar to JMP's Belfast Transport Hub, new routes through the Sydney Central Metro station will ease congestion and extend into the city, making new connections and shaping the urban grain.
"Belfast's new integrated bus and rail transport facility will form a key gateway into Belfast’s city centre," says McAslan. "Our master plan for the precinct improves permeability across the site, integrates the new station with the existing city grain and creates new civic spaces – a high-quality urban realm befitting this progressive and ambitious city."
This reflects the important role that stations play in shaping a city's sense of identity, adding new layers and reflecting the spirit of the times.
“Walter Liberty Vernon’s original Sydney terminus building was among the truest symbols of its era, exuding civic pride and confidence in contemporary technologies of construction and transportation," observes McAslan. "As Sydney’s rail network begins a new chapter, the additions to Central station honour its history and testify to the ambition of our own age."
Be it London, Belfast or Sydney, the collective memory of each city formed by millions of people arriving and leaving, is preserved in its station's structures and spaces.
McAslan still remembers the daunting experience of arriving at Kings Cross from Scotland as a young man. Decades later, the JMP team helped to create an accommodation centre for youths who arrive at Kings Cross and have nowhere to go. Similarly, in Sydney, JMP is working pro bono with the Wayside Chapel, an organisation helping the homeless.
These smaller projects demonstrate the human impact of complex transport infrastructure on cities and communities at every scale, and the opportunity to respond equitably through design.
Meet John McAslan in Sydney
McAslan is in Sydney from July 31 – August 4 and will be delivering a free lecture at the University of Western Sydney on ‘Public Transport design as a catalyst for placemaking’, which will draw on the practice's work around the globe. The event is open to the public and free.
Date and time: Wednesday, 2 August | 4pm at WSU Parramatta Engineering Innovation Hub (PEIH), 6 Hassall Street Parramatta.
Photography credits:
Kings Cross Station by Hufton + Crow
Sydney Central Northern Concourse by Martin Mischkulnig
