Brent Cross West Train Station: A Journey Of Innovation

London, UK

Project Details

Few projects require every single item in the Advanced Glass toolkit, but Brent Cross train station asked for the full catalogue. This was an all-stopper project, with every station representing a new challenge. Safety standards for new train stations are so high that many products haven’t been invented yet. Or, hadn’t. That’s where the in-house design experts at Advanced Glass got to work, resulting in ground-breaking innovation. This case study offers the express tour of one of our most demanding and satisfying projects.

The Brent Cross West project

The highly ambitious new Brent Cross West Station was expected to open in 2031. However, in what must be the most dramatic timescale alteration that Advanced Glass have ever encountered, that plan was brought forward by an astonishing nine years. The result is a four-platform station with the unique challenge of being built over very busy, and very live, railway lines. The project involved constructing two entrance screens, concourse glazing, stainless steel Proteus cladding, Alsecco glass cladding, glass balustrades, bespoke solution closure pressings, G20 insulated cladding, louvres, and waiting rooms with high-performance barrier-loaded glazing. Without forgetting the on-site office window which needed to be both fire and blast-resistant!

The Deflection 

Train stations, like many public areas, are subject to live loads. These are pressure loads that shift due to the movement of people or vehicles. Live loads always add an interesting complexity to features such as glass windows. However, in the case of Brent Cross, this issue was intensified by the presence of deflection. The combination of live loads and other deflections can lead to unstable walls and other supporting surfaces. In this situation, deflections affected the floor slab of the concourse, putting the entire structure at risk. 

When structural solutions are not possible, designers can explore materials for live load and deflection problems. In this case, what the architect had proposed was not able to meet the imposed load and we had to go to our supply chain to find a suitable glass cladding product. In this instance, we used the Alsecco Airtech glass cladding. These were selected for their ability to accommodate the live load and deflections. Ultimately, we incorporated closure pressing to adhere to Network Rail requirements regarding litter traps.

Fire & Safety 

Security is a top priority for all public structures, with train stations and airports being at the top of the list. Standards for blast resistance in train station windows are now so high that the legislation is almost ahead of the market. Crucially, train station windows have a completely different set of requirements for fire safety. One type of window performs one task, and another type of window achieves another. With no glass currently available to satisfy both sets of standards, the in-house design team at Advanced Glass had to innovate our own industry-leading solution.

The design team at Advanced Glass has the benefit of extensive experience and insight. This enabled us to turn a seemingly impossible problem into a very neat, simple solution. We created a double window with back-to-back installation. Our solution for Brent Cross West has one pane of glass adhering to security performance and the other to fire safety. This was much more efficient and cost-effective than the alternative, which would have been to invent a completely new type of glass.

Cladding 

With deflection and live load problems causing issues across the board, the number of stakeholders in the project was scaled down so that only a handful of experts were involved. As one of the remaining experts, Advanced Glass was given the additional task of finding a solution for the internal cladding for the Western Entrance Building. This included the escalators and lift shafts, all of which had to comply with stringent security and fire regulations.

Industry experience has enabled Advanced Glass to establish a robust, reliable, and ever-ready network of trusted suppliers. As such, we were able to quickly source, fabricate, and install the required G20 cladding. To do this, we drew upon our own experienced fabricators and installers, as well as training extra pairs of hands to join our team. We place communication and collaboration at the heart of our processes, keeping the entire workforce fully informed about every step of the project to maximise efficiency.

Live train line

Much of this project could only be carried out when the trainlines were not active. Thameslink is a 24-hour service that supports London and its surrounding commuter belt, so closing lines required major planning. Hence why lines were closed during off-peak hours, in the middle of the night. As such, key aspects such as the raised glass balustrading, the high-level work in the waiting rooms, and the drivers’ welfare facility, could only be carried out in the darkness with very strict, immovable time windows.

Planning, organisation, and communication are the only solutions to situations where timeframes are non-negotiable. Equipment, materials, and technicians needed to be in place and ready to go. Basic elements such as proactive maintenance of equipment were essential for preventing unplanned downtime, as this could ruin a carefully orchestrated window. At Advanced Glass, we placed preparedness at the core of our installation planning, while ensuring that all fabrications were completed well ahead of schedule.

The Design

One of the biggest challenges in this project was that some of its defining features – such as the deflection problem – came as complete surprises to key players. This meant that the solutions to profound issues had to be found while the project was already in motion, and with a high-profile ticking clock. It also had to be done in tandem with the timelines of suppliers, fabricators, installers, and Transport for London’s own train timetable.

This project required an experienced team and thankfully, at Advanced Glass, that’s exactly what we provide. From coming up with swift, effective, innovative solutions to rapidly organising new suppliers, our history has given us the answers to the problems of tomorrow. Specifically, we were able to produce very rapid solutions, greatly reducing project delays.

Outcome

The senior project manager said: “The work done by Advanced Glass is fantastic and to such a high attention to detail which is what has been needed to achieve the result our client expected!”

Brent Cross West station is a truly stunning piece of design, and Advanced Glass are rightfully proud of our central role in bringing it to fruition. The station was opened on December 23rd 2023 by Mayor of London – Sadiq Khan.

Find out more

If you have a high-profile project that can’t risk mistakes, Advanced Glass is perfectly positioned to assist. To find out more about how our unique experience can benefit your vision, please call one of our experts today on 01455 856028.

London, UK