As part of the Urban Renewal plan for the London in the 70’s, there was a significant need to provide improved transport infrastructure for the redevelopment of the London Docklands in east and south-east London. Plans to extend the line were revived in the late 1980s, prompted by the Canary Wharf development and construction began in 1993 to develop the London Underground with the adopted name of the “Jubilee Line Extension” project. The 10-mile (16-kilometre) long extension created a direct link between London’s West End at Green Park and the East End of London in Greenwich and Stratford. The project consisted of 6 brand new stations being built, along with 5 existing stations being substantially rebuilt under complex conditions, with some of the original infrastructure being over 150 years old.
For the Jubilee Line Extension, the buildings around Westminster station were demolished and the sub-surface station was completely reconstructed together with the erection of a parliamentary office building, Portcullis House, which sits above the station. Wincro were involved with the project from an early stage and began fabricating the first part of the 60 tonnes of their stainless steel Suregrip flooring. The main concourse flooring panels were all individually laser cut to site templates and electro-polished to an approved finish. Panels were fabricated for the various platforms, walkways, staircases and concourses that you see within the station today. Suregrip stainless steel floorplate was specified for its high durability and low maintenance to compete with the thousands of footsteps a day of those commuting back and forth across our busy capital city.
The station’s architecture is an austere combination of concrete and stainless steel, with stacked banks of escalators supported from the cross-bracing structures. The station design won a number of awards including Civic Trust awards in 2000 and 2002, the Royal Fine Art Commission Millennium Building of the Year award in 2000 and the RIBA Award for Architecture in 2001. Both projects were jointly short-listed in 2001 for the RIBA’s prestigious Stirling Prize.
Below is an original marketing feature Wincro created and used 20 years ago from the Jubilee Line Extension project. Now that is a #throwbackthursday for you!
Client: London
Underground
Project Manager: Bechtel
Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty/ AMEC JV
Architect: Michael Hopkins & Partners
