Kalwall Translucent Cladding - West Croydon Bus Station

• The West Croydon Bus Station in London is a vital link for the millions of people every year commuting to work from the South and South East into London. The station forms a hub for over 150 buses per hour with the adjacent tram stop and West Croydon railway station providing routes to both East and West London as well as to the City and Docklands.

• The redevelopment of the bus station forms part of a £50 million programme of the Main Street public pedestrianised space and transport infrastructure to transform the town centre by creating a more attractive environment in which to live, work, socialise and do business.

• Designed by Transport for London’s in-house team of architects headed by Martin Eriksson, the project goal was to create a user-friendly waiting and assembly shelter to cope with a 20% increase in passenger numbers and provide a brighter more spacious environment to service the vast number of passengers using this interchange daily.

The Solution

The normal choice of construction for a translucent and weatherproof canopy would be to glaze the roof with glass. However the project team at TfL realised that Kalwall® offered a better solution in this location. It would not only solve the design requirements and contribute to a better design but would offer many other benefits over traditional glazing.

For example, since Kalwall is much lighter than glass the supporting structure could be less strong and far less substantial. This meant the vertical supports were less obstructive and opened up a better view of the environment, including the very attractive St Michael’s Church located nearby which had previously been blocked from the view of waiting passengers. The corten steel (weathering steel) support could also be subtle and worked into arches and patterns meant to mirror and complement the church.

Furthermore, Kalwall is visually far more attractive than glass while eliminating shadows, hotspots and glare and the stark contrasts of light and shade; all improving the experience for passengers underneath.

As Kalwall diffuses natural daylight downwards and reduces vertical illumination and reflection upwards at night, it can control light pollution on the surrounding high-rise buildings while emitting a very attractive ethereal glow, making it a beacon for travellers.

Maintenance-wise, Kalwall is also an effective choice. Soil and detritus are less obvious on Kalwall than on glass and cleaning is much simpler because access scaffolding is not required and maintenance staff can safely walk across its surface.

The Comments

Martin Ericksson comments, “Transport for London has a long and rich design heritage. The approach to the redevelopment of West Croydon bus station has sought to build on this heritage and recognises that waiting for your bus should not just be a perfunctory experience, instead it should be a positive one enhanced by good architecture. Site constraints, high footfall and the poor design of the previous station, presented an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the difference good architecture can make through improved layout, better passenger movement and accessibility – whilst supporting the West Croydon

Masterplan.

Brick was chosen to connect the station to its urroundings, especially the adjacent listed church. Using Kalwall brought many advantages and benefits in relation to its lightweight yet strong structural qualities. It has helped enhance daylight transfer and protects from sun

glare whilst reducing hotspots and solar gain. The material’s soft translucent qualities contrast beautifully with the building’s warmth and texture, providing a sheltered waiting environment with the added advantage of low maintenance and high performance.”