Architects pitch alternative Liverpool Street station "Arch" to rival Network Rail's "tower"

"The concept, drawn up by architects John McAslan + Partners (JMP), which had previously worked on King's Cross Station, and engineering firm Expedition, proposes a series of station improvements and accessibility upgrades delivered without, they say, the years of upheaval associated with building a tower through the concourse. The scheme has been welcomed by Sir Tim Smit, founder of the Eden Project, along with several heritage"

"Network Rail's own proposal for a 20-storey office block built over the concourse is expected to be decided by the City of London's planning committee early next year. The proposers of the new scheme are calling on Network Rail to pause its current planning process to consider this and other possible alternatives. The new scheme would move the office and retail space above the existing roof and be accessed via the restored 50 Liverpool Street building,"

"At the centre of the plan is a low-profile vaulted structure designed to echo classic railway architecture and the neighbouring 1990 SOM building at Exchange Square. The design suspends nine floors of cross-laminated timber from a lightweight steel frame, creating a low-carbon building with no need for internal columns or structural intervention in the platforms below. The mezzanine retail layer"

Architects John McAslan + Partners (JMP) and engineering firm Expedition propose an alternative Liverpool Street station development that funds upgrades while avoiding concourse demolition. The plan places office and retail space above the existing roof, accessed via the restored 50 Liverpool Street building, so construction can proceed without driving new support columns through the concourse. The design suspends nine floors of cross-laminated timber from a lightweight steel frame, producing a low-carbon building with no need for internal columns or platform intervention. The scheme aims to deliver station improvements and accessibility upgrades with less disruption than a 20-storey tower, and supporters urge Network Rail to pause its current planning process to consider alternatives.

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