Into The Realm Of The Rabbits
The completed Bank Station Upgrade opened today and I went and took these pictures of what is now a rabbit warren of a station.
Note.
- There are now three cross passages between the two Northern Line platforms.
- There are two lifts between Cannon Street and the Northern Line and one extends to the Docklands Light Railway.
- The Northern Line and Cannon Street are now connected by two sets of three very long escalators.
- I took a walk to Cannon Street, whilst taking this pictures and from leaving the new entrance to being on a train out of Cannon Street, took mt five minutes.
- After photographing the station, I walked to the bus stop for the 141 bus, which took me home. As there is now a new passage between the gate-line and the bus stop, it took just two minutes.
The new Cannon Street entrance is a practical, stylish and well designed and built addition to the Bank station complex.
I would let the same architects and builders loose on Camden Town, Holborn and Oxford Circus/Bond Street stations.
Skegness Wind Turbine Trial To Light Up Pier In UK First
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A Lincolnshire seaside pier is being lit up at night with the help of a new mini wind turbine.
These are the first three paragraphs.
One of the 6ft (2m) vertical turbines has been installed on Skegness Pier with another fitted on a factory roof in Spalding.
They are able to capture wind from all directions without turning, making them low maintenance.
Both are made by Norwegian company Ventum Dynamics, which is testing the technology with local councils.
I believe it is one of those ideas, that proves the Sliced-Bread Theory of Innovation.
I have a few thoughts.
Design
The design looks clean, modern and unobtrusive.
I don’t know what the noise level is like, but I suspect good design means, it could be fairly low.
I’ll just have to visit Skegness on a windy day, which won’t be a difficult thing to arrange.
Easy To Add To An Existing Or New Building
The Ventum web site has some good pictures.
From my flying experience, I suspect that the higher a turbine is mounted, the more power will be generated.
The only problem would be the heritage lobby.
This picture shows Oakwood station on the Piccadilly Line.
Note.
- The station is the second most Northerly on the line.
- It opened in 1933.
- It is a classic Charles Holden design.
- It is a Grade II* Listed building.
- The station is on top of a hill and has an elevation of 71 metres above sea level.
It might be the ideal place to put perhaps six turbines on the roof.
But would the heritage lobby allow it?
Remote Power
Teamed with a battery, they would be the ideal remote power solution for buildings and locations without a mains supply.
Finance
I used to part-own a finance company and feel that these turbines would be attractive to a finance company, if ethically sold.
Conclusion
I like them!
Arrest Warrants For Architects Over Collapsed Buildings in Turkey Earthquake
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Architects’ Journal.
This is the sub-heading.
Turkish government officials have issued 113 arrest warrants for people involved with the construction of buildings that collapsed in last week’s earthquake – including architects, contractors and engineers – reports claim
The article is a serious review of what happened in Turkey, that might have contributed to the scale of the disaster.
These are three paragraphs.
The Guardian claimed the arrests were ‘likely to be seen as an attempt by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan … to deflect blame’, saying that the president ‘faces tough elections in May’.
As already reported by the AJ, regulations introduced in Turkey after a previous earthquake 24 years ago should have ensured that modern buildings were able to withstand quakes of this magnitude.
But it has been widely reported that tens of thousands of buildings were granted ‘construction amnesties’ over several decades. These enabled owners of structures built without the required safety certificates to gain legal exemption upon payment of a fee, a situation that critics say has long risked catastrophe.
The last paragraph sounds very much like institutionalised bribery.
The article is very much a must read.
Findlater’s Corner At London Bridge – 11th February 2023
This restoration was shown on the BBC London news in a story, which was entitled London Bridge: Derelict Railway Arches Restored To Past Glory, and I thought it was worth a visit.
Note.
- It is a fine restoration.
- I shall be interested to see, the tenants it attracts.
- The railway bridge needs an appropriate repainting, to eliminate the graffiti.
I think, that with the right tenants, the tea room could be a gem.
The BBC article says this about the tea room.
The project team also made a surprise discovery when removing a section of plaster from a wall to another of the arches; a glass mosaic for an Express Dairy Tea Room dating back to the early 1900s.
Railway stations were a popular location for tea rooms because at the time they had access to the freshest milk, often transported from farms on trains before being sent to urban milk dairies.
“The tea rooms were one of the first places that ladies, who couldn’t necessarily go and eat in bars or eat in chop houses, could come, get together as single women and meet their friends, so this is perhaps an important part of the emancipation of urban woman in London”, said Mr O’Looney.
Mr. O’Looney is the architect of this project, who is the gloriously named; Benedict O’Looney.
He featured in this blog before in It’s Not April The First, where I wrote about his restoration of the waiting room at Pekham Rye station.
KPF Unveils Plans For Old Street Skyscraper
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Architects’ Journal.
This is the sub-heading.
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) has unveiled early plans for a 160m office tower by Old Street roundabout in East London
These three paragraphs describe the development.
The site at 99 City Road is currently occupied by a 10-storey postmodern office block developed in the late 1980s as headquarters for satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat. However, Inmarsat relocated last year and developer Endurance Land bought the site in spring for £150 million.
The new owner now wants to demolish 37 per cent of the existing building, before vertically extending it to create an approximately 37-storey tower providing an additional 45,000m2 of office space, according to early plans published for consultation.
The tower scheme would feature improved public realm around the building, as well as active frontages, café space and 510m2 of flexible community space – including a triple-height ‘great room’, which could hold markets, exhibitions, and performances.
I took these pictures these morning as I passed the site at the front of the top-deck of a 21 bus.
Note.
- I showed the approach to the station, to show the number of high rises in the area.
- The Inmarsat Headquarters at 99 City Road is on the South-East corner of the roundabout, with a new station entrance alongside.
- Unusually it has Inmarsat shown vertically on the front.
- The double-fronted curved building is the Bezier Apartments, which made the short-list for the Carbuncle Cup in 2010.
- The building on the South-West corner is the White Collar Factory.
The construction of the new Old Street station seems as slow as ever.
I have some thoughts.
Will The Building Fit In?
The architects’ Journal article says this.
Consultation documents said the tower’s design is ‘rooted in the distinct history of the local areas’, its appearance ‘tak[ing] inspiration from the Victorian buildings in the neighbouring conservation areas of Bunhill Fields, Finsbury Square and South Shoreditch’.
I can see some arguments as at 37 stories, it’s two higher than the Barbican towers.
Will Access Between The New Building And Old Street Station Be Good?
This map from Transport for London shows the future layout of Old Street Roundabout.
Note.
- The Inmarsat Headquarters is in the South-East corner of the roundabout.
- There is a new entrance to the station between the building and the Bezier apartments.
- The new main entrance to the station in the middle of the roundabout.
- Original plans showed a lift to the main station entrance from the surface, but two may have been built.
There appears to be a subway and two light-controlled pedestrian crossings between the new development and the station.
This Google Map shows the current state of Old Street Roundabout and the front of the Inmarsat Headquarters.
It can’t be long before developers build on the other two sides of the roundabout.
Who Will Be The Tenants?
This article on the Hackney Gazette, is entitled New 36-Storey Office Tower Proposed For Old Street.
It says this about the tenants.
The new site would contain approximately 4,000 sqm of new affordable workspaces that would be accessible to local businesses and organisations.
I suspect that these offices will be much better than some of the dumps Metier worked out of in the 1970s and 1980s.
Just promising to show the view could get a few visitors and some possible sales
Will The Building Have An Observation Platform?
At 160 metres tall, this building will be 150 metres shorter than The Shard, but it will be 27 metres than the Barbican towers.
So why not have an observation platform?
I suspect that from there, you will be able to see Hackney Mashes, as there are few buildings in between.
Battersea Power Station – 14th October 2022
I went to Battersea Power Station today and took these pictures.
Note.
- The picture of my jacket was taken in the toilet. All male toilets should have a hook for jackets.
- The crane is still in place.
- There are a number of shops still to open.
- There was no food store, although a Marks and Spencer’s food store is coming soon.
- The only place to have a coffee and cake and sit down was Starbucks. But I never eat in an American cafe or eat American food, as I don’t trust their gluten labelling.
One guy I met described it as Dubai without the sand.
I have some thoughts.
Getting There
There are two main routes.
- Northern Line to Battersea Power Station station.
- Thames Clipper to Battersea Power Station pier.
I went by the Northern line, changing both ways at Tottenham Court Road station to and from the Elizabeth Line.
- This interchange is a short walk and step-free, if you use the lift.
- There are no trains to Battersea Power Station on the Bank branch of the Northern Line.
- There are five trains per hour (tph) to Battersea Power Station, with an extra two tph in the Peak.
- There are no Night Tube trains to Battersea Power Station.
I can see this service being improved.
Arriving At Battersea Power Station By Underground
Punters were certainly arriving.
Gluten-Free Food
There was absolutely none, that I could find.
At least though a Gordon Ramsay restaurant is opening soon.
Signage
It wasn’t good. But then I have found several modern shopping centres work on this principle.
Conclusion
Canary Wharf is better.
- Partly because the shops are more useful and to my taste.
- But mainly because it is on the Elizabeth and Jubilee Lines, and the DLR.
- All rail lines go through Canary Wharf rather than terminate there.
Battersea Power Station might be better, when the Northern Line is extended to Clapham Junction station.
Carbon-Neutral Concrete Prototype Wins €100k Architecture Prize For UK Scientists
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Architect’s Journal.
Under a picture of two white-coated scientists with their protective boots on concrete samples, the story and their invention is outlined.
A pair of PhD students at Imperial College London have won a global architecture prize for devising a groundbreaking method of creating carbon-neutral concrete
Material scientists Sam Draper and Barney Shanks landed the €100,000 2022 Obel Award with their ‘simple way’ to capture carbon from industrial production processes and create an end product that can eliminate the CO₂ footprint of concrete.
The prototype technology, dubbed Seratech, takes industrial CO₂ emissions directly from flues and produces a carbon-negative cement replacement material (silica). According to the scientists, when this is used in combination with Portland cement, the carbon capture associated with producing the silica means the concrete products can be zero carbon.
One of the products, we will need in the world is concrete and if we can make it in a carbon-neutral manner, then that will surely reduce worldwide carbon emissions.
The Technology Explained
This page on the Seratech website is entitled Our Technology.
It gives this description of the technology.
Seratech has developed a process that consumes olivine and waste CO₂ from flue gases and produces two products which both have significant value in construction.
Silica is produced which can be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in concrete meaning the amount of Portland cement in the concrete can be reduced by up to 40%. As the silica comes from a process that captures CO₂ it is “carbon negative” and the concrete can become carbon neutral.
Magnesium carbonate is produced that can be used to make a range of zero carbon construction materials and consumer products, including alternatives to building blocks and plasterboard.
The aim is for humanity to be able to continue building robust cities and infrastructure, but without the climate cost of traditional cement mixes and with the Seratech technology this goal is achievable!
Note that olivine in Europe is generally mined in Norway.
Replacement Of Steel By Concrete
Could we also replace steel in some applications with concrete?
In UK Cleantech Consortium Awarded Funding For Energy Storage Technology Integrated With Floating Wind, I talked about some of ground-breaking methods used by a company called RCAM Technologies to create infrastructure using 3D printing of concrete.
If Imperial’s concrete, which is called Seratech can be 3D printed, I can see lots of applications for the technology.
So you could kill two sources of large carbon emissions with one technology.
Conclusion
I have said on this blog before, that we will have to keep or even build more gas-fired power stations, as they can be an efficient source of pure carbon dioxide, that will be needed as a feedstock to create an increasing number of agricultural and building products.
A New Garden Bridge Proposed For London
This article on Ian Visits is entitled Plans Open A Disused Railway Bridge To Pedestrians.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A section of the Thames with few bridges could become a lot easier for pedestrians and cyclists to cross if plans to convert a disused railway bridge for pedestrian use go ahead.
The disused railway bridge to be used is the original 1849 Barnes Railway Bridge, which was closed to trains, when a new stronger bridge was built alongside in 1890.
This Google Map shows the two bridges.
Note.
- The railway tracks in the centre on the 1890 three-arch bridge.
- The Thames flows from South-West to North-East under the bridge.
- A walkway on the North-Eastern side of the is still in use.
- The original 1849 bridge is on the South-Western side of the bridge.
The pedestrian garden bridge will be built on the 1849 bridge, which will be refurbished.
This second Google Map shows the bridge and Barnes Bridge station.
Note.
- Barnes Bridge in the North-West corner of the map.
- Barnes Bridge station in the South-East corner of the map.
Part of the plan envisages connecting the South-Western platform to the pedestrian garden bridge.
It looks a plan with a lot of good possibilities.
The Project
It appears that Network Rail, the London Boroughs of Richmond and Hounslow are all supportive and Moxon Architects have been appointed to the project.
The project now appears to be called The View at Barnes Bridge and it has an impressive web site, with lots of information and pictures.
I have a few thoughts.
I Am Not Surprised That Network Rail Are Supportive
Network Rail must be pleased to be getting a Grade II Listed structure off their hands.
Could Barnes Bridge Station Be Made Step-Free?
I suspect that Moxon will produce designs for this and it will probably be a question of money, if they are implemented.
But as the garden bridge will attract more visitors, this will surely increase the need for full step-free access at Barnes Bridge station.
Could A Refurbished Bridge Carry Utilities?
I suspect that this will be looked at, as it could be a nice little earner.
Could This Project Be An Example Of a Levelling-Up Project?
In my travels around the UK and Europe, I’ve seen several disused railway bridges that could be reused as footbridges to provide walking and cycling.
Many are being converted, but this high-profile bridge could inspire architects to create other worthwhile bridges.
High Speed Two Publish Rural Footbridge Design
High Speed Two have published their rural footbridge design on this page of their web site.
This image from High Speed Two shows an artist’s impression of the bridge.
This is High Speed Two’s own thoughts on the design.
Made of weathering steel, the sides of the lightweight bridges will lean outwards to maximise views of the sky and improve the experience of people crossing the railway.
Weathering steel – which ages naturally to a russet brown colour – was chosen to help match the tone of the surrounding countryside, while the plates that form the structure of the bridges will be angled to appear narrower and lighter.
To emphasise the sense of lightness, each span will be slightly higher in the middle so that they appear to leap over the railway. Most of the bridges will consist of just one 42m span, with extra spans added where necessary to create bridges of up to 102m long.
The design of the bridge would appear to be a good compromise between accessibility, cost, ease of construction and installation and practicality.
The article also covers other topics.
Step-Free
This paragraph explains how the bridges will be step-free.
In order to improve efficiency of manufacturing and assembly, all the bridges will have the same basic form, with the approach paths built into the earthworks on either side of the bridge. This also means that all the footbridges will effectively be step-free.
I can see bridges of this type being built at other rural locations.
A Single-Platform Station
These images show James Cook station in Middlesbrough.
High Speed Two’s rural bridge design could be used as part of a design for a step-free station on a rural line.
Bridleways
The footbridge can be used for a bridge on a bridleway.
Designed with guidance from the British Horse Society, the bridges which carry bridleways will follow the same basic pattern, with a recycled, non-slip rubber deck and the structure acting like a baffle to stop horses being distracted by passing trains.
Footbridges will be 2.5m wide, while bridleways will be 3.5m wide to allow two horses to pass comfortably and safely.
It should be remembered, that horses are flight animals and if they are startled they run, so if say a train went under the bridge, when they were on top, they would most likely go forward and cross the bridge quickly.
I would happily have ridden my stallion; Vague Shot over a bridge like this.
I also think, the design of the bridge in the landscape should allow riders to approach to a safe distance from the bridge and perhaps watch a train or two go through.
Other Animals
I can see other animals like badgers, foxes and hares using a bridge like this.
I also think, that on classic railways, bridges like these could be used to allow farmers to move sheep or possibly cattle over a railway, with some simple design changes.
Conclusion
This bridge has more applications, than the initial one, for which it was designed.
The New Entrance At Hackney Central Station – 2nd July 2022
The new entrance at Hackney Central station opened yesterday.
Note.
- The cafe must be fairly good, as it has two flavours of gluten-free brownies.
- I may have a touch of arthritis these days, but stairs like these are fine for me, as there are two right-handed paths.
- There is a second set of stairs down from the footbridge to speed passengers on their way to Hackney Downs station.
- There is a light-controlled crossing over Graham Road.
- Bus stops in both directions are only about twenty metres from the crossing.
- The station buildings appear to have green roofs.
- The is plenty of bike storage, but no car parking.
- There is no lift, although the design should allow one to be added later, if it is thought one is needed.
I’ve seen bigger budgets produce worse designed station entrances than this one.
My Use Of The Graham Road Entrance At Hackney Central Station
I suspect, I will use the new entrance mainly in one of two ways.
Going West On The North London Line
If I want to go west on the North London Line, the obvious one is to get a bus to Highbury & Islington station from the closest stop to my house and get the train from there.
But that route has got more difficult in recent years.
- Our South London Mayor in his wisdom cut the 277 bus back to Dalston Junction station.
- So there is only the 30 bus left and the route uses badly-designed Egyptian-built buses. I’ve nothing against Egyptians, but these buses don’t have the flat floor, that people expect from a bus these days.
- Since the roundabout was rebuilt, it seems to be a longer and more difficult walk for pedestrians.
So I’d prefer to take another route.
- Canonbury station is probably the closest station, but it is an uphill walk from my house.
- Dalston Kingsland station is a possibility, but the steps to the platform aren’t the safest.
- Dalston Junction station is another possibility, as it is step-free, but it means more changes of mode and train.
Going via the new Graham Road entrance has advantages.
- From my house, there are frequent 38 buses to the new entrance.
- The 38 bus stop at Hackney Central is only a few metres from the station entrance.
- There is a coffee stall in the station entrance.
- The steps in the entrance are easy for me.
I will try out this route the next time, that I go to the West on the North London Line.
Coming Home From Stratford With Shopping
If I need a big Marks & Spencer or a John Lewis, it is convenient to go to Eastfield at Stratford and come home on the North London Line.
I will usually use the The Canonbury Cross-Over to double-back and get a bus home from Dalston Junction station.
It is an easy route, but sometimes the trains mean a wait of nearly ten minutes at Canonbury station.
The new entrance at Hackney Central gives an alternative route.
- You would get in the back of the train at Stratford.
- Alight at Hackney Central.
- Exit the station through the new entrance.
- Cross Graham Road on the light-controlled crossing.
- Walk about twenty metres to the 38 bus stop.
- Wait for a frequent 38 bus.
Today, I waited just a minute.
Conclusion
The entrance was first mentioned in an article on Ian Visits in October 2019 and I wrote about it in Will Hackney Central Station Get A Second Entrance?.
In May 2021, I wrote £3m Hackney Overground Station Upgrade To Begin In June.
The entrance seems to have gone from a concept to reality in under three years and once the starting pistol was fired, it was built in under a year.
How many parts of the UK rail network could be improved, by small projects like this?
The Anonymous Widower 