Southern Cross Station Roof Design

The undulating structure was developed to assist with the extraction of diesel fumes and other air contaminants by way of a louvred natural ventilation system.

Southern cross station roof design.

The undulating structure was developed to assist with the extraction of diesel fumes and other air contaminants by way of a louvred natural ventilation system. Development in melbourne for civic nexus. Southern cross was redeveloped by the civic nexus consortium following an innovative design by grimshaw architects and jackson architecture which features an undulating roof. Southern cross station is popular for its undulated trapezoidal roof system covering an entire city block of about 60 000 square metres.

A key design feature of the station is the iconic large span wave form roof an australian first. The wavy form developed from studies of exhausting train fumes. The wave roof is the first of its kind in australia and the country s largest undercover concourse spanning an area of 211 x 180 metres one of the most challenging aspects of the project s design and construction was building a complete roof covering the entire southern cross station site over a live operating rail station. The design responds to the functional operational and logistical needs of the station but also links melbourne s central city grid with the then rapidly expanding docklands precinct.

The steel structure gestures in the direction of travel. The roof was specially designed to allow the diesel fumes hot air and exhaust gases to move upwards and be dispelled through louvres using the force of the existing winds. Southern cross station has a roof area of 34 000m which gives this excellent potential for storm water recycling. The design focus of southern cross station is the dune like roof that covers an entire city block.

Construction began in october 2002 and was completed in late 2006 with the majority of the transport facilities finished in time for the 2006 commonwealth games. Transport mural comes home in april 2007 a 36m long and 7m high mural illustrating significant stages of victoria s transport history from 1835 to 1935 was returned to its home at southern cross station. Southern cross station melbourne stretching an entire city block melbourne s elaborate station features an undulating roof that rests on a series of y shaped columns. It is 23m at its highest point.

Harmful gases gather in the domes and exit. A key design feature of the station is the iconic large span wave form roof an australian first. The roof s form plays a crucial role as part of the environmental envelope ensuring that it is symbol of sustainable architecture developed in response to the hot external climate and the internal need for diesel extraction and ambient cooling via natural ventilation.