East Hills Station Upgrade
East Hills Station has been upgraded to provide accessible and equitable facilities for the community. A series of new bright, uplifting spaces respond to the robust concrete forms and steel space-frame roofs of the existing 1980s buildings, matching the contemporary architectural language while introducing vibrant splashes of colour.
The DesignInc team provided integrated architecture, urban design and landscape design services for the detailed design documentation and construction phase of this project.
Two new lifts connect the street entries to the elevated overhead platforms while maintaining the clear sight lines through the station underpass between Park Road and Thompson Lane. The lift design extends the existing off-form concrete language with the addition of brightly coloured window steel surrounds, glossy white tiling around lift doors, batten screening and tubular balustrade railing systems. New platform and lift door canopies are simple planar elements so as not to detract from the strong architectural statement of the existing steel space frame roofs. The upgrade also includes a new entry ramp, reconfigured platform access stairs, a new family accessible toilet, switchboard room, accessibility parking in the existing commuter carpark, a new kiss and ride drop off area and improved accessibility between interchange modes.
A splash of colour
Brightly coloured mosaic tile artworks bring vibrancy to the station. ‘Reflections on a River’ extends the entire multi-storey height of the lift shaft in the main station void, with coloured mosaic tiles representing the reflections of the sunshine off the water of the nearby Georges River. Metal memory plaques with inscriptions provided by residents were collected as part of the community engagement are inserted between the tiles at eye height. The plaques record individual memories or ‘reflections’ of their personal experiences with the river edge landscape.
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