NDY was appointed in 2005 by Network Rail to develop a fire strategy for the Birmingham Gateway Project, which comprises the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street Rail Station, the Pallasades Shopping Centre and surrounding areas.

The four storey building, with a multi-storey carpark above, has a total floor area in excess of 100,000 m2. The station, one of the largest in the UK and one of the largest sub-surface stations in Europe, has a passenger throughput of over thirty million people a year.

NDY worked closely with the design team to develop an overall fire strategy for the complex scheme. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was used to develop the smoke control measures proposed throughout the building, including measures in the retail malls, concourse areas, atrium and station platforms. NDY also used occupant evacuation software, including EXODUS, a leading software package, to analyse the evacuation of occupants from the station.

A major challenge of this complex project was the requirement to keep the station and shopping centre operational during construction. NDY prepared fire strategies for each of the seven construction phases to meet this need.

For further project details, please refer to the project website www.newstreetnewstart.co.uk

Project Details

Services:
Fire Engineering

Market Sector:
Retail
Transport

Client: Network Rail

Architect: Atkins, Haskoll and AZPA

Value: £600 m

Completion: 2015