Geelong Railway Station – New Main Entry

RBA was engaged by the Department of Planning and Community Development to design a new main entry to Geelong Railway Station, one of the busiest stations in Victoria’s regional rail network. An eastern approach route to the station building was to be introduced as part of a proposed master plan for the entire site, necessitating a new design solution to rationalise and renew the existing dispersed and poorly presented entry points.

The station had been refurbished periodically over the years, however these works had failed to keep pace with the growth of staff operations, such that the building was now struggling to accommodate a range of functions. Our design proposal emerged after consultation with representatives of V/Line to gain an understanding of staff and passenger requirements. We identified the need to develop a master plan for the building itself, in order to efficiently reconfigure and plan for the growth of its complex internal operations. Analysis of the existing buildings and a preliminary master planning exercise were undertaken to address identified needs. RBA also liaised with Heritage Victoria from early on, to ensure support for the design and expedite future permit approvals.

A new glazed foyer space was proposed, to be linked to the existing waiting area and ticket office by a lightweight, undulating roof, designed to capture natural light and restore a sense of the interior’s former state (as an open yard). The design successfully reconciled the heritage values of the site with amenity requirements and the primary brief direction: a strong sense of address to the new approach route and a positive public interface. This project is currently awaiting funding allocation.