York Station Gateway, York, UK
Uncovering the railway story of a famous historic city
The public realm and transport facilities in front of York railway station are being comprehensively redesigned to create a more welcoming, pedestrian-orientated entrance to the city.
Arup is lead consultant for the project, providing an integrated design approach across all disciplines, from highways to landscape and architecture.
Underpinning this work is our detailed heritage assessment. This study draws together extensive research and analysis about the history of the area – defined by Roman burials, medieval defences, and finally the arrival and growth of the railway – and considers how the area is encountered and interpreted today.
The stories we have uncovered provide rich reference material, and design parameters, for contemporary interventions at all scales. These include a bold infill wall within the main station façade, the form and decoration of which is drawn from the original structure of the station, and a large new retaining wall for the medieval city walls which acknowledges York’s original track layout.
