Newport Station by Grimshaw

Grimshaw has redesigned Newport Station in Newport, Wales, England. This project is a part of a citywide regeneration master plan by Newport Unlimited. This station is quite important for transportation between England and Cardiff due to Newport is the first city reached by passengers. This project aimed to provide striking civic building that would provide a gateway opportunity not only to Newport, but to Wales herself.


This new station split Newport with its the railway tracks. As a result, each half of the city has developed its own character. Grimshaw as the architects design embraces this divide, creating two major new concourses. The North Concourse will be on the civic side of the city and focus on the needs of commuters. The South Concourse, on the commercial side, will be for connecting travelers, day trippers and tourists. Each terminal’s function is reflected in the distribution of ancillary facilities around the station.

Ticket facilities and platform access are split equally between the two terminals. All the main facilities at both terminals are housed in continuous ETFE and aluminium clad spirals. The spiral form of the station mirrors the journey taken within and helps to ease traffic flow by guiding the passenger from ground level up to the connecting bridge and back down onto the platforms. The use of an ETFE wrap over a steel structure not only creates a very bright and airy space but also, due to the lightness of the material, means the building requires a minimal support structure. This brightness of space is compounded by the inclusion of an oculus at the peak of each building, which doubles as a compression ring to secure the structure.