University News Last updated 03 February 2010
Birmingham City University students are being offered the opportunity to inspire designs for the regeneration of an old Victorian listed railway station building.
As part of a wider regeneration programme at High Wycombe station in Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Trains have tasked a group of architecture students from Birmingham Institute of Art and Design to come up with design ideas for a disused goods shed.
Loraine Organ, Head of Procurement & Project Delivery at Chiltern Railways said: "We wanted to offer these talented students a chance to inspire new ideas and contribute to the regeneration of High Wycombe Station which will turn it into the station of the future."
The goods shed at High Wycombe station was originally designed by British engineer and architect Isambard Kingdom Brunel and was built in the 1850s; it fell into disuse and has been leased out to commercial ventures including storage, restoration and tyre fitting units.
Dr Lubo Jankovic, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at Birmingham City University, said: "One of the great excitements of working with students is in the range and quality of unconstrained ideas they generate. This competition is a great opportunity for students to apply their ideas to exploring new models for a railway station, in the context of practical constraints and within the underlying sensitivity of the listed building originally designed by Brunel."
Students were asked in November to submit their proposals and were taken to High Wycombe station to take photos and visit the building. The deadline for submissions is the February 8 with judging taking place later in February. Cash prizes will be awarded to three designs along with certificates, railcards and tickets for travel on Chiltern Railway.