Worcester Station was originally built in 1850 but replaced in 1865 with a station building still in place in the year 2025. Built during the Victorian era but of the Georgian style, this station is now over 150 years old and needs some TLC. The building and platforms have some unique features such as the waiting rooms, the cast iron railings on the station’s staircase, which have been hidden by boarding for years, the signals and the glass and iron canopy over the platforms.
The building was long overdue for some much-needed TLC, and as the station is grade II listed, with several challenges facing the refurbishment, including the canopy over the platforms.
Large fragile sheets of glass suspended over hundreds of passengers on rusting ironwork frames is the stuff of nightmares for health & safety specialists. Couple that will the newest building codes and Construction, Design and Management (CDM) regulations to allow for maintenance and access and you can find yourself in a spin trying to balance aesthetics and safety.
Now stop imagining and think who would you turn to, to solve this problem?
Fortunately, there is just such a place. Somewhere that can take modern materials, those that comply to modern safety standards and can be used by designers and architects in line with CDM regulations. Modern materials that are sustainable, they can be reused repeatedly. Modern materials that are easy and quick to install, reducing the installation costs, reducing the weight for lifting, manual handling and the stress on the building. Modern materials that strong, meaning passengers can feel safe beneath them. And, not forgetting modern materials that give the look and feel of glass and iron work, with all the benefits of natural light flooding the platforms below.
Known as the ‘Pioneers of polycarbonate’, Twinfix are a British manufacturer who specialise in producing high quality polycarbonate glazing systems. Along with their ‘multi-link’ aluminium support system, Twinfix can replicate the Georgian Wire look of glass but at a fraction of the weight. Along with their non-fragile polycarbonate the system is safe, secure, strong and light. Twinfix manufacture the product, so they are the best people to talk to about bespoke designs. As the multi-link system needed to match the look and feel of the original, Twinfix were able to design the multi-link to include a caping making it indistinguishable from the original. This enabled the new instal to match any existing parts not being replaced in this scheme.
With Twinfix’s system to hand, the station refurbishment went without any problems. The system designed, manufactured and delivered by Twinfix was easy to install and lightweight to lift into place. With the canopy’s finished it’s impossible to tell from looking that it isn’t the original glass and ironwork looking as good as the day it was first installed in the 1800’s. The passengers are sheltered from the weather and the only flooding they will experience, is daylight beaming across the platforms.
Vicky Evans, Twinfix Director said “It’s great to be returning to Worcester station and investing a significant amount to improve this historic station and secure its future for the next generation. We delivered on time and to budget and are pleased that our client is satisfied with our work which will provide long term value and sustainability for the future.”
