CRL has released new concept images for the City Rail Link stations.
Two underground stations are being built mid-town at Wellesley and Victoria Streets – provisionally named Aotea – and uptown at Mercury Lane off Karangahape Road – provisionally named Karangahape. CRL will also redevelop Mt Eden station which connects with the North Auckland Line platform (Western Line).
Each station is designed with a unique 'personality' from the entrance through to platform. The identity and integration of the stations into their local precincts will reinforce both their existing identities and a more pedestrian-focused future.
Aotea Station
The new designs for Aotea Station show that seven skylights within the station to represent the seven stars of the Matariki constellation.
It brings beams of light from the heavens into the darkness of the underground concourse and platform areas. The internal station walls are not only efficient structural elements but have been modelled on Maori woven patterns. The acoustic panels lining the station walls reflect a similar pattern.
Karangahape Road Station
The Mercury Lane entrance for the Karangahape Road station evokes the branching arms of the vast spreading canopies of Kauri trees, radiating out from massive trunks. The entrance provides a dramatic sense of relief via a series of large climbing patterns that are revealed as commuters pass through the space towards the entrance.
The overall experience is one of rising from, and descent into, the earth. It is proposed that light and sound will be used to enhance the experience of the entrance space.
Mount Eden Station
At Mount Eden Station, the cultural design will extend from the forecourt, through the station and across the new connecting bridge between the CRL and North Auckland Line platforms.
Visit City Rail Link for more images and explanations.
