Innovaré to begin £3m Whitton Railway Station upgrade

Innovaré is readying up to provide the full structure of the £3m Whitton Railways Station upgrade, which will be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup.

The programme will be broken up into two phases, the first focusing on enhancing the station entrance to make it more prominent and welcoming. It will also introduce a larger booking hall and a new retail unit, ticket office and accessible toilet. The second phase will focus on accessibility, with the installation of a lift and new footbridge. Main contractor Osborne has begun demolishing the station in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

The station will rebuilt by Innovaré Systems using the building system. The system uses structural insulated panels (SIPs), high performance building components which will complete the thermal watertight structure within one week, compared to the 8 weeks which would normally be required using traditional construction.

This off-site construction method will both simplify the works and provide a highly energy-efficient building for the public to use. The construction will be carried out during daytime hours to avoid unnecessary night time disturbance.

The use of structural insulated panels is not usually seen in the rail sector, where masonry, concrete and steel are more familiar. However with sustainability becoming a key driver, the thermal performance of SIPs combined with the sustainable materials they consist of means they can provide the lowest energy consumption of any building material across its lifecycle.

The use of timber contained in SIP  buildings is one of the most effective methods of carbon storage, offsetting emissions by using buildings as carbon ‘banks’ for what would otherwise be atmospheric CO2. This type of carbon sequestration means carbon can be effectively measured and managed. It also encourages the use of managed forests, which act as a carbon ‘sink’ in removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

Whitton Station has been in operation since the mid-19th century, facilitating around 1.3m passenger journeys in 2013/14, and there have been various repairs and improvements since then. The station building is currently closed, with temporary access provided to the platforms.

Innovaré BD and Communications Manager, Paul Inch said: “This is the first train station for several years for us, but the first one to use Duck2 – which means the roof will arrive highly insulated and waterproofed the same day it is delivered. All internal walls will come from the factory MgO fitted with 1 hours plus fire rating, a massive difference to other timber panelised systems.”

“We are working closely with South West Trains, Network Rail and Osborne to deliver a brilliant brand new station, whilst helping them maintain customer access and no disruption to rail services. We have also be asked to look at other stations, as the rail sector in particular seems keen on the fast delivery and environmental benefits of SIPs in reducing CO2 in the built environment. ”