St Helens Train Station

The new station was designed by SBS Architects Ltd and uses more than 400 square metres of Pilkington Planar™, 50 per cent is monolithic glass and the other 50 per cent is single glazed laminate incorporating Pilkington Optifloat™ clear. The majority of the glazing is supported by a curved steel structure using specially designed Pilkington Planar™ stainless steel castings and articulated Pilkington Planar™ 902 fittings. The complex shape and geometry of the steelwork required a specific Pilkington engineered fitting solution - the vertical gable ends are supported by 19mm thick toughened glass fins cantilevering down from the steelwork at the head of the building structure.

The roof of the new station forms a faceted arc, an aspect of the design which demanded a specific glass type. The ceiling was constructed using a system of minimalist castings and architecturally bolted, laminated glass. Pilkington Planar™ is a system that allows the glass to be connected to form various different shapes, it is also a structural system which makes it technically possible to achieve the curved glass look that the design required."

Pilkington is very proud to be part of the long awaited refurbishment of the St Helens central station, which last received a make over in the 1960s. The station sees over 400,000 passengers a year, but it is hoped that the refurbishment will increase the numbers of people travelling to and from the town by rail.

The project was developed by Merseytravel, Merseyside's Passenger Transport Authority and Passenger Transport Executive.

Andy Leaver, SBS Architects Ltd