Capital Gateway

Abstract

This thesis analyses modern transport interchanges in the context of the current Wellington Railway Station, to then ask: How can interior architecture optimise the use function of a concourse within a transport interchange?

As one of the largest transport interchanges in New Zealand, the Wellington Railway Station serves around 40,000 people everyday. Due to the projected population increase of around 50,000 by 2043, this of course will mean a further increase the number of people travelling each day via the railway station.

The design in this thesis calls for a redeveloped ‘transfer hall’ or ‘main concourse’ area that strives to connect with other modes of transport and accommodate the fluctuation of both patronage numbers while also considering how the interior could provoke a positive social interaction from the user, by doing so it is thought that the new interchange becomes a place to visit, rather than just a quick thoroughfare. The key aim of the thesis is to capture the current architectural expression of the station, to then convert it into a modern interchange.