Wednesday 10th January will see the opening of one of the most important elements in Singapore's new transport infrastructure - Expo Station, designed by Foster and Partners.
Expo Station is the first Mass Rapid Transport station on the new Changi Airport MRT Extension that visitors will encounter after leaving the airport. It serves the new Singapore Expo Complex and is an exciting modern gateway to Singapore. With as many as 17,000 passengers using the station during peak periods the key design creteria were clarity of movement and durability of materials.
The station has elevated platforms, accessible by lift or escalators from the concourse level. Along section, cut from the floor dividing the platform and concourse, allows passengers glimpses of the trains passing overhead as they enter the station, thus aiding orientation. At the ground level the concourse has open grilles on the street side and a lush tropical garden between the station and the Singapore Expo Complex on the other side, allowing the free flow of air through the building. The platforms and surrounding paving are surfaced in hard wearing grey granite.
Two dramatic roof structures surmount the station - a 38-metre-diameter stainless-steel disc covers the ticket hall and 200-metre-lond titanium-clad torus shelters the platform and the concourse below. The shapes overlap, crating a dynamic visual effect. The platform roof structure is technically very efficient - consisting of a 'diagrid' of steel members, it is so stable that only two pairs of V-shaped columns are required to support its length.
The highly reflective roof materials serve a variety of purposes. The exterior titanium cladding hass a 100-year warranty and will require little cleaning or maintenance. The mirrored stainless-steel ceiling is animated with the reflections of passengers and train movements. It also scoops daylight onto the platform, minimising the need for artificial lighting. At night, the reflected lights from passing traffic are dynamically distorted around the underside of the stainless-steel disc, creating a colourful play of light. In a country with one of the world's warmest climates the roof offers an important environmental benefit - the titanium panels reflect the sun's rays away from the building providing an atmosphere on the platform that is three or four degrees lower than the temperature outside the station.
Expo Station benefits from a soft boundary on the Mega Exhibition Centre side, where a lush tropical garden opens out on to the station concourse - a highly appropriate feature for the Far East's Garden City.
Credits
Architects: Foster + Partners
Associate Architects: Public Works Department Singapore and Land Transport Authority Singapore
Civil Engineers: Land Transport Authority Singapore
Mechanical and Electrical Engineers: Land Transport Authority Singapore
Structural Engineers: Arup
Quantity Surveyors: Davis Langdon and Seah
Lighting: Claude Engle
Landscape Architects: Cicada Singapore
