Design process

North Greenwich Station is located at the tip of the Greenwich peninsula. The site had long been occupied by Europe's largest gasworks. Consequently it was necessary to remove large quantities of contaminated soil from the site. However, the project benefited from the fact that the site was clear of existing buildings. Given the land availability on the peninsula, North Greenwich Station could also provide support facilities for other stations on the Jubilee Line Extension.

The 'cut-and-cover' approach to the station's design was driven by the client body's wish to retain the land surface above for subsequent buildings on the station's roof. Consequently the design team faced a particular challenge in bringing to North Greenwich Station the characteristics of the other new Jubilee Line stations, which all had some presence above ground. In this context, the design objectives were to provide simplicity of function for operational purposes, with a sense of openness and clarity of movement for passengers.

The architects were selected following invitations of competitive fee bids, with no practice allowed to win a commission for more than one station on the extension.

As part of the briefing process, the client issued generic station layouts and civil engineering assessments for tunnelled and 'cut-and-cover' stations. However, the client's philosophy was to appoint the best architects and engineers to work together with as open a brief as possible.

The appointment of a different architectural firm to design the bus station above North Greenwich Underground Station occurred when the latter was half complete. This generated considerable new co-ordination work and to some design modification, notably of the upper level of the escape stairs.