This transport hub is part of a major urban design intervention in the town of Blackburn to drive regeneration.

The AST* team (while at Capita|ESA) led the concept and delivery of this exemplary transport interchange with links to the newly relocated markets.

The scheme is a simple, yet striking steel superstructure with GRP white seamless linings/cladding and glazed slots creating a cathedral style hall with a curtain wall of jointed glass and glass fins. The brief for the bus station was developed in conjunction with the future operators/managers of the facility who expressed a desire for a striking yet functional design that provides a safe and secure environment connected directly to the pedestrian realm.

The facility contains 14 bus stands plus an additional three layover spaces, space for public functions and community events, a café and retail kiosk and a focal hub building. The design comprises a simple and functional transparent box with an internal rhythmic structure of loops designed to represent the hanging cotton over the looms which made the town a key apart of the Cotton Trade and part of the Industrial Revolution.

Additional accommodation is housed in a first floor podium for drivers, conductors and staff to obtain respite, together with administration and a cash office. As well as structural challenges, the space planning required a distinct separation between pedestrian and vehicular routes.

Visibility and transparency gives a light feeling whilst enhancing the visual connectivity with the retail heart of the Town Centre. The town is atmospheric and the design team felt this bright white frame would stand out against the often grey skies.