This invited competition for Transport for London was to design a transport interchange and bus station at this central London site.
The design had a distinguishing landmark feature called “Vauxhall Point” which was a needlelike structure. The height, lighting and position of the point were designed so that it could be viewed by all the surrounding communities at all times. The existing site had become a myriad of different transport routes which divide the local communities. It is circled by new developments fought for attention producing visual clutter. Our design sought elegant simplicity and legibility to bring back focus and a new sense of identity to the local people. We handed back ownership of the area to the pedestrians and cyclists providing a clear vocabulary of street furniture, signage and new, sheltered public spaces. The project also encouraged public involvement. All the local street names were incorporated into the design as they were set into the surrounding footpaths linking the local communities back to “Vauxhall Point”. Other features of the scheme were attention to safety by organising public space so that it alleviated congested areas which could cause pinch points particularly at kerbs. Long life, cleanable materials and easily accessible service management were also important to ensure long term durability and aid maintenance. Photovoltaic collectors were proposed for the cantilevered wing-roof structure together with other recycled materials for the enclosure.
