Elizabeth line: line-wide design

Built

Hufton + Crow

A consortium of AtkinsRéalis, Grimshaw, Equation, and Maynard designed a range of interior finishes for stations and tunnels, enhancing passengers' experience on the Elizabeth line.

Through an intensive and collaborative process, the team conceptualised an approach whereby individual stations respond with their own architecture to their individual contexts, while as passengers descend to platform level the manifestation of a line-wide identity strengthens through the application of consistent cladding, lighting, signage, furniture, and platform edge screens.

From curved glass-reinforced concrete cladding, to integrated technology and lighting within wayfinding totems, the line-wide design creates a consistent journey across the city, and ultimately, a new travel identity for London’s underground railway infrastructure.

Encompassing platform architecture, passenger tunnels, escalators, station concourses, signage, furniture, fittings, finishes and technology elements, the line-wide design design consists of two distinct languages: long-life architectural elements such as the tunnel cladding and flooring, and shorter life technology elements that service the station environments, housed in the platform edge screens and totems.

The consistent line-wide components enabled an economy of scale and the use of modern manufacturing, while their robust, self-finished materials ensure longevity. The separation of technology elements allows flexibility for the stations to evolve, ease of maintenance, and provides an uncluttered canvas for passengers.

Project information

Status

Built

Borough

* N/A Outside of London

Completion

May 2022

Location

Farringdon, Farringdon Station, Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BY, UK

Team Credits

Lighting Designer

Equation