On the move – decorative casings for transport hubs
Whether it’s an airport, train station or bus terminus, travellers usually have little time or interest to notice their design, let alone the decorative solutions that conceal structural steelwork and protect interior walls.
Transport hubs need to process large numbers of people through foyers, waiting areas and embarkation, whether that’s 150,000 per year for a regional bus terminus, or more than 35 million for Gatwick Airport’s south terminal in 2023.
Footfall of this kind has a significant impact, sometimes literally, on building interiors, so they need to resist damage, as well as contributing to the building’s aesthetics. However, as casing specifications can differ considerably, depending on their location and end use, a practical way of illustrating this diversity is to focus on some selected transport projects where Encasement bespoke casings have been installed.
Gatwick Airport South Terminal – West Sussex
London Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal departure lounge and retail area is using 27 Circa column casings from Encasement’s Verta range to conceal structural steelwork while integrating with the interior design and providing a damage resistant finish.
Constructed from durable and tough 12 mm thick pre-formed plywood, the 800mm diameter casings are located throughout the departure lounge area and range in height from 3300mm to 7500mm. The upper section of each column casing is finished in Formica® FR grade real wood laminate, while the lower 1200 mm uses brushed stainless steel, which also incorporates flush fitting aluminium feature joints.
Originally installed in 2014 as part of the £40 million refurbishment and upgrading of the airport’s departure lounge and retail area, the casings have stood the test of time in the airport’s high traffic environment.
Oakham Transport Interchange – Rutland
Vecta wall linings are being used in the waiting room to provide a highly durable and low maintenance solution. The 2400mm high Vecta panels are finished in ‘Stone beige’ to help create a comfortable and light interior for passengers.
Each wall panel is manufactured from 8mm thick compact laminate and are fixed to an aluminium and timber supporting framework, which allows precise positioning of the panels and allows them to be effectively secured while maintaining the contrasting shadow-gap design when installed.
Coventry Train Station
As part of the £82million transformation of Coventry train station, which was opened in March this year, the main concourse train information display gantry is using Forma metal column casings to conceal its steel supports, standing 3800mm high.
Manufactured from 2mm thick aluminium, the two 350mm diameter column casings are coated with a white RAL 9010 PPC finish, each of which also incorporate two red colour contrasting stripes around the circumference and aluminium skirting collars at the base.
King’s Cross Underground Station – Petit Prêt
To comply with London Underground fire and safety regulations, the refurbishment of the Petit Prêt store at King’s Cross underground station called for the use of non-combustible interior wall linings, which was addressed using Encasement’s Vecta wall linings.
Within the store, Vecta aluminium panels were used to fully line the interior from floor to ceiling, which also included the installation of the system’s fixing rails, plus edge and door trims, together with a 100mm high mirror polished aluminium skirting. To help keep the shop bright in its underground location, the Vecta panels were finished with a white RAL 9010 PPC coating.
