JLE Mid Line Vents and Escape Shafts

Vent and escape shafts are provided at stations and at 1000m intervals between stations along the Jubilee Line Extension.
Ian Ritchie Architects designed the architecture for six shafts between London Bridge and Canary Wharf, one being at the west end of Bermondsey Station.
The architectural intention was to create a family of sculptural objects which articulate the functional and ‘flow’ character of the shafts (air movement, plant, escape and access).
These characteristics are translated according to the individual and often sensitive site locations to produce a unique and locally responsive expression of the presence of the Jubilee Line. Conventional louvres and grilles have been dispensed with in favour of designing discreet or highly articulate and efficient free air space zones.
The principle forms are:
–    Carved monoliths
–    Flat planes, vertical blade walls,
–    Curved sinuous horizontal planes or bands,
–    Filagree mesh skin: fine parallel bar or wire.
These forms are made from a palette of materials:
–    Smooth cream/grey concrete,
–    Dense polished black bassalt aggregate concrete,
–    Stainless steel bar and wire,
–    Metal plate: stainless steel, copper, galvanised steel.
Wherever possible landscape and planting forms an essential ingredient providing a seasonally shifting foil to the architecture of the surface structure.