[Translate to Englisch:] Crossrail Station Canary Wharf

[Translate to Englisch:] Montage Crossrail Station Canary Wharf

London (GB)

Crossrail station Canary Wharf

At the centre of London's Canary Wharf business district, surrounded by skyscrapers made of steel and glass and in the river course of a branch of the Thames, WIEHAG built a milestone in timber construction culture.

Canary Wharf station is a milestone in timber architecture for the sustainable mindset of integrating wood as a raw material into urban development. The implementation was a challenging task for the WIEHAG engineers who carried out the planning, structural analysis and production of the roof support structure.

Task

Sturdy and light at the same time

The fully submerged station is located in the North Dock, serving as a link between the Canary Wharf Estate and Poplar to the north. The challenge: The station had to lie 18 metres below the water level, take the weight of the Crossrail Place development above it and be robust enough to withstand the impact of ships. The roof had to be light and airy to avoid adding unnecessary weight, but also provide shelter for the public rooftop garden located on the top floor.

Implementation

A filigree roof construction

1,000 cubic metres of PEFC-certified timber from local, sustainable forestry were processed into 1,414 wooden beams at the state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Altheim. In March 2014, after a six-month production phase, the ready-to-assemble individual parts were assembled into a 300-metre long roof structure. The infrastructure of the Canary Wharf station and the entire Crossrail line were completed in 2018.

A building for generations

"I am proud to have been part of the project team. I look forward to showing the spectacular architecture to my grandchildren one day."

— WIEHAG site manager

Facts & figures

The construction details

300-metre long roof construction
1,000 m³ of PEFC-certified wood
1,414 timber beams, 4 of which are curved
72 steel girders
564 steel nodes, 86 of which connect to reinforced concrete
2 double-curved ring-beams at the roof cantilever edges to the east and west

Project details

Timetable and budget of the Crossrail line

Construction of the 100 km long Crossrail line from Maidenhead to Shenfield & Abbey Wood began in May 2009. The entire Crossrail infrastructure project, including the station at Canary Wharf, was opened in 2018. The construction cost is estimated at approximately 18 billion euros. Canary Wharf cost over 600 million euros. When completed, the railway line will connect Heathrow Airport with the east of London.

Engineering of the highest standard

“The aesthetics and sophisticated architecture of the Crossrail station in London were implemented and optimised in a cost effective manner by the professional and talented engineering team.”

— Jonathan Rabagliati, Architect Foster + Partners

Project profile

Location: London (GB)
Client: Canary Wharf Contractors Ltd.
Architecture: Foster + Partners, London
Services provided/type of construction: Planning, structural analysis and production of the roof support structure

Best practices in timber construction