Fiona Scott / Architecture and Interiors

interchangeABLE:
new design elements to reclaim urban transport interchange

Urban transport interchanges are central to any debate about the future of our cities. The ability to switch between different modes of transport when travelling around the metropolis is a determining factor in making any city a successful place in which to live and work.

However, urban transport interchanges currently represent a huge missed opportunity in design, according to architectural practice Scott Brownrigg.

"Local authorities, transport companies, planners and developers are all players in urban nodal interchanges," says Steve Millier of Scott Brownrigg, "but nobody is picking up the design ball and running with it. That's why we decided to set up a research project to provide the fresh thinking that is badly needed."

Sites surveyed

Architecture graduate Fiona Scott was chosen to lead the project. Five major interchanges in London and the south-east - Stratford, Vauxhall, Liverpool Street, East Croydon and Guildford - were surveyed and cross-referenced against policy reports and best practice case studies from continental Europe.

Stratford was then selected for in-depth observational, user group and design-based research. Many of its key characteristics were distilled to create a hypothetical urban transport interchange in east London as a case study site for design development.

In addressing generic challenges, the project proposes six new urban design elements to reclaim the transport interchange.

The urban fabric of the interchange, for example, is often disrupted by rail lines and roads. 'Urban Connector' is a strategy for mending the breaks in the urban fabric in order to create a more integrated and coherent terrain for the interchange. It would host new programmes such as retail, exhibitions and street performance, as a prominent local landmark.

Enhancing journeys

The interchange is often disconnected from surrounding areas. 'Access Ribbons' are fingers designed for pedestrians and cyclists that penetrate the neighbourhood to enhance personal journeys between the interchange and the surrounding district.

Spaces around transport interchanges are frequently characterless and uninviting, with only basic provision. The 'Community Hub' strategy provides seating, lighting, meeting points, multi-media and sculpture integrated into an urban landscape design. For local people to linger in public and market spaces, more meandering routes are mapped onto direct, choreographed transport routes.

Interchange land use is often poor and unimaginative. The 'Stacked Programme' suggests a scenario for dense mixed use, creating interfaces with adjoining buildings in both horizontal and vertical planes. A mix of upscale apartments, office typologies, retail and services is held together by dynamic circulation and public space.

Normally, in-between spaces around tracks and roads are generally neglected and overlooked. 'Residual Space Makers' is a strategy in which even the most uninviting and seemingly unusable pockets of land are given value as live-work cooperatives and local sports or arts facilities.

Finally, information provision is not integrated for all interchange users at all stages of the journey. 'Info-Flow' proposes a strategy for the integration of a number of banded communication elements into the system at all levels, preventing the piecemeal accumulation of layers of conflicting signals.

"These proposals not only describe ways to enhance the social and commercial potential of the transport interchange," says Fiona Scott, "but also remove barriers to change in terms of a more imaginative use of land, media and urban design."

more about Fiona Scott

research partner: Scott Brownrigg

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