project

East Croydon Station – Single-Layer ETFE Footbridge Roof

Membrane
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  • East Croydon Station - Single Layer ETFE Foil

General information

  • Home page
    https://www.architen.com/projects/east-croydon-station-etfe-roof/
  • Location address
    East Croydon Station, Croydon, London, UK
  • Location country
    United Kingdom
  • Year of construction
    2013
  • Name of the client/building owner
    Network Rail
  • Function of building
    Vehicle services
  • Degree of enclosure
    Open structure
  • Climatic zone
    Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
  • Number of layers
    mono-layer
  • Type of application of the membrane
    covering
  • Primary function of the tensile structure
    • Daylight gains
    • Rain protection

Description

As part of the redevelopment of East Croydon, one of London's busiest stations, a new 105m pedestrian bridge was built across the tracks. It needed a lightweight, daylit cover over the walkway and the four staircases down to the platforms. ETFE was chosen over glass because of its low self-weight, which reduced the demand on the steelwork and foundations. It was also chosen for its proven use in transport environments and its speed of installation.

A single-layer system was specified rather than cushions. This avoided the need for an air handling unit, which kept capital and maintenance costs down while still giving all-weather protection to passengers on an open-air structure. The bridge roof is made up of 13 independent foil panels restrained by steel cables. The cables resist wind uplift and are designed for snow loading. Each staircase is covered by a further five panels.

To control solar gain and glare, the foil was printed with a 16mm silver dot frit, which reduces light transmission from 85% to 74%. This keeps the concourse bright enough to need little daytime artificial lighting without it overheating. Rainwater is collected by gutters and hoppers and taken down through the steel columns to below-ground drainage.

The bridge was assembled off site and rolled into position. The ETFE was then installed at night, between midnight and 6am, so that the railway could keep running throughout. The project was a finalist for Construction News Project of the Year 2014 (£10m–£50m category).

Client: Network Rail. Main contractor: BAM Nuttall. Engineers: Buro Happold and Mott MacDonald. ETFE design, fabrication and installation: Architen Landrell.

Description of the environmental conditions

Open-air footbridge over a live railway in a temperate climate. The single-layer ETFE roof provides rain protection and controlled daylight; fritting limits solar gain, and cables restrain the foil against wind uplift and snow load.

Material of the cover

  • Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
    Foil
  • Material Fabric/Foil
    ETFE-foil

Main dimensions and form

Duration of use

  • Temporary or permanent structure
    Permanent

Involved companies

Editor