Later this month, the practice will present five different options for its Balsall Common viaduct, which Solihull Council approved in September.
Locals will be able to vote on the options such as bolder colours – including red or green – or less prominent finishes such as polish concrete ‘to reflect the sky and surroundings’, said Weston Williamson.
There are also four options for pa،t patterns, which the practice says reference the history of local textile ،uction, the nearby Forest of Arden, brickmaking and livestock farming.
It comes after Weston Williamson and HS2 entered into further discussions with Solihull Council over the look of the 425m-long structure for a site around 13 miles south-east of Birmingham city centre.
The project team says designs for the viaduct were focused on the landscape setting, with plans including wet woodland planting using species native to the local area as well as hedgerows. Revised options could offer more water and taller trees.
When in operation, the Balsall Common viaduct will carry HS2 trains running between the Birmingham Curzon Street terminus, which is under construction, and Grimshaw’s London Euston terminus. The Euston station is under review and already smaller than first planned.
Weston Williamson director and project lead Nick McGough said: ‘We’ve responded to the feedback from the local planning committee and developed new design options which create either a bolder, more prominent viaduct in the landscape, or reduce its prominence, effectively making it more subdued. This is achieved with different treatments to the acoustic pa،ts which can significantly change the character of the structure.
‘We now look forward to hearing people’s feedback on the colour, finish and patterning of the viaduct’s pa،ts, along with options about different types of planting in the areas around the structure.’
The structure is being built by HS2’s main works contractor, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), supported by Weston Williamson, Mott MacDonald and SYSTRA.
HS2’s London-to-Birmingham leg could begin serving p،engers sometime between 2029 and 2033. Last October, prime minister Ri، Sunak cancelled the project’s northern leg, which would have run to Manchester.
منبع: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/weston-williamson-puts-hs2-viaduct-design-to-public-vote