connecting infrastructure frequency with the city pulse

‘Southwark Link‘ describes a site in London, where various urban layers, characterised by various frequencies and orientations meet and overlay. Thousands of people enter London Bridge Station every day and use the facilities in and around the station.

The interference of various layers with defined characteristics like orientation and scale was simulated in the software Houdini as particle systems, transformed by waves. The results of these formal studies which have been applied on the site and integral local parameters lead to a new concept for the area.

The barrier effect of the present building mass below the track layout, which spreads extensively over the area is diminished by dissolving the predominant linearity into a system with multiple directions. The new station is a place of strong civic nature which integrates the surrounding paths of movement into its structure. Possible paths lead not only horizontally but also vertically through the structure and therefore a high number of accesses onto the platforms is provided. Consequently, the structure empowers the people to move in a natural and comfortable way, dispersing crowds into smaller groups. The new public place is an open, transparent system and thus embedded in the urban environment. With a large spectrum of different functions, the station is a vibrant place at all times of the day.