Transit buildings

We have international experience in strengthening and optimizing the commercial and economic performance of projects. 

We can:

• Create connections and synergies between transportation buildings and oversite or adjacent development, forr example by designing connecting shafts and tunnels from underground stations, and by designing the transfer structures, plus access and services, for air-rights development above overground stations. 
• Develop commercial proposals and plans for suburban and rural transportation hubs, as part of large-scale rail and transit projects, recognizing that the social and economic uplift is usually greater at the margins than in well-developed urban centres.
• Design stations as destinations: places that will add foot traffic and business because they are attractive, offer amenities, and provide services in addition to transportation.

Many journeys involve two or more modes of transportation, so buildings may need to provide complex interconnectivity.

We can:

• Understand and allow for the operational requirements of each transportation mode, without compromising the quality of the passenger experience.
• Design for easy wayfinding and efficient movement.
• Use information and communication systems to let passengers know the location and status of their onward transportation.

Many longstanding requirements, such as the management of fire risk, can be addressed in innovative ways.

Meanwhile, comparatively new considerations are coming to the fore, such as keeping stations cool in the face of climate change and rising temperatures. We are advancing the design of transportation buildings in multiple ways.

We can:

• Provide access for all, involving step-free access as a default design feature in all new stations, and solutions for upgrading existing stations.
• Reduce fire load to reduce risk and reliance on fire suppression systems. This involves designing out potential sources of ignition and all combustible materials — which eliminates the need for sprinkler fire suppression systems and enables a reduction in the number and size of ventilation fans, ducts, and shafts. Benefits include improved passenger safety, reduced capital cost, lower operating cost, reduced requirements for maintenance, repair, and replacement, and reduced system downtime to allow for those activities.
• Increase use of mechanical cooling systems including district cooling, in which transportation buildings share cooling infrastructure — and costs — with neighbors.
• Design for security, incorporating appropriate surveillance and designing buildings for easy evacuation.

Our transportation building teams continue to push boundaries and set standards for cost efficiency and construction quality in diverse ways. We can: 

• Use BIM to integrate complex systems and eliminate clashes, adapt designs for construction, rehearse processes, and manage risks.
• Undertake industrialized construction, enabling offsite fabrication of standardized modular solutions that can be rapidly assembled onsite.
• Carry out sequential excavation and sprayed concrete linings to create platform caverns, escalator shafts, and connecting tunnels for underground stations.

When large and complex projects run into difficulty, it is often because needs have not been properly validated, requirements verified, the design integrated, specifications accepted, or detail delivered. Our assurance team works alongside our designers and contractor teams to provide assurance for regulatory railway approvals.

Across all we do, we keep reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety in mind. We have an industry-leading team that — depending on your specific needs — can help define your requirements, support the development of optimal solutions, and check that designs comply.