- You have worked on many iconic rail and air passenger terminals over the years. How did the concept of modern passenger terminal changed over the years? Do cultural differences influence the passenger terminal’s design and functionality?

- For decades, rail systems have been the arterial networks of our cities and with half of the world’s population now living in these cities, the importance of transportation infrastructures has dramatically increased. Some Asian cities have seen a population and development explosion which mandates the expansion of public transportation and multi-modal systems within and between commercial and residential hubs. Similarly, our expanding cities have grown closer in proximity and the railway is the most convenient and sustainable means of connection between destinations. Trains and Railway systems are now designed for greater speed and are competitive with regional and national air traffic. The railway is seen as one of the safest, economical, sustainable and environmentally friendly ways of getting from point A to point B.

Asian railway infrastructures are designed for very high patronage, with stations in China and in India catering to more than 500,000 people a day, approx. 180 million passengers per year. In comparison, annually Heathrow (LHR) caters to 68 million and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) caters to 50 million passengers. The strategies adopted to deal with commuters within the stations as well as adjacent transport facilities are comparable to those of modern airport terminals. A prime objective is to clearly segregate between arriving and departing passengers. This is typically achieved though vertical segregation, i.e. a departure level is provided above the platforms and an arrival level is provided below. Multi-modal drop-offs are located adjacent to the departure halls; the pick-ups are divided into the various modes to ease congestion. The hall contains lounges, VIP rooms, retail etc. In short the design principles of modern stations and modern airports are becoming increasingly similar.

New airports are being constructed worldwide as a result of the increase in air travel and the bid to make cities competitive. Contemporary airport masterplans now integrate railway links to provide the most convenient connections to city centres and allow for non-centralized airports. Railway stations are placed within the urban fabric, with convenient access and models developed to integrate the stations into our cities. Due to their locations they have a presence in the cities, and create civic structure. Railway stations have reinvented themselves as hubs within the cities. Rail travel is not only fast and efficient; its networks extend deeper into more rural areas than airports. Rail travel provides a positive experience and allows for appreciation of cities and landscape, whilst having less impact on the environment.

- Your company designed the Kowloon station that integrated the Hong Kong Airport Express and in-town check services. What are the key integration points of a successful air-rail terminal?

- The Kowloon Station is an excellent model of the integrated transit oriented development. The station connects the Hong Kong Airport to the heart of its city with the Airport Express, and allows the traveller to continue their journey to all parts of the city and even to China by all types of transit mode, such as cross-border coach, taxi, subway (MTR), and buses in addition to the easy connection to local trains. Moreover, the station is planned in a way that can be linked up with the future express rail links to Beijing, the capital of Mainland China.

In the 250,000sqm development, the interchange houses five rail systems – metro, standard train, high-speed train, local passenger trains and baggage-handling train. Also included is a bus and coach station as well as taxi, car rental, hotel and tour-bus pick-up points. The building also provides for complex parking requirements, including passengers, general public, employees, taxis and buses.

Having the opportunity to plan the airport from scratch allowed the development of integrated rail and road access, and full scale facilities for in-town check-in and baggage handling to bring the luggage directly to the airport. Pre-flight formalities, other than passport control, can be completed at the principal Airport Railway stations, Hong Kong and Kowloon. For passengers, having checked in baggage and obtained boarding passes, the whole city becomes as much a part of the airport as the lounges, shops and concourses of the airport terminal itself. In Hong Kong, the city has become the airport.

- What are the biggest challenges and opportunities when designing an integrated air-rail terminal?

- With our Incheon airport project, the terminal itself is a fairly large pragmatic structure and often the connectivity in the terminal is important. The design of the air-rail building becomes the iconic building--the landmark for the new development. The terminal doesn’t just serve the airport but also the region. The multi-modal access system – in its scale and complexity, one of the largest transport schemes attempted world-wide – is crucial to the success of Incheon airport, delivering passengers and goods to the island site from Seoul’s city centre in less than 45 minutes. The system encompasses an eight lane expressway, double track railway, double-deck suspension bridge, underwater tunnel, high-speed ferry system and helicopter routes. Our transportation centre is the final link in this system, collecting and funnelling passengers and baggage from the multi-modal access system on the land side to their respective terminals on the air side.

Incheon is the architectural icon of the airport since the airport building itself has a rather modest appearance.

In addition, the design of the station is an important and enduring public building enhancing and informing the city fabric with a simple contemporary, unique, unifying station form that provides an innovative architectural solution to the complex functional and contextual requirements of the site; this acts as a catalyst for new development to the surrounding urban area. A number of the transportation facilities such as car-parking, taxi pick-up and plant works have been placed under the railway fan to minimize the footprint of the station. This creates active landscape around the station and unites the public links.

- How important is the design for an airport or rail passenger terminal?

- When designing an integrated air-rail terminal, it is critical that it is convenient and well run. Planning of the airport needs to be well organized and architecturally interesting. Large pragmatic structure and often the connectivity are extremely important and design of the buildings needs to be iconic as this is a landmark for development. Organization, clarity of way finding and first-rated interior design are considered to help ease the traveller’s experience and enhance their journey. Transportation systems (intercity, airport express, light-rail networks, bus, coach, taxi and private cars) needs to be strategically positioned to allow the seamless transition from one mode of transport to the other. It was also planned in a way which ensures that the facilities and interchange provisions housed there support the smooth running of the airport as well as to create a strong physical and psychological gateway in and out of the country

- What were the most challenging projects in your career?

- Several challenging projects in my career includes Kowloon Station Development, a super complicated transport hub in Hong Kong which was fully integrated with a 11 million sqf development. A complex masterplan needed to be well thought out as the Kowloon Station needed to be built first to allow property development to occur afterwards. Enabling works and phasing needed to be considered; The Beijing South Station, another complex large-scale station, once started we were able to resolve designs efficient well in short duration. Additional challenges for the Station are structural issues due to large column spans.

- Which project are you currently working on?

- I am currently involved in a number of infrastructure and metro projects throughout Asia. One is a new mixed-use station development in Haining, China. The station is designed as the focus of a new urban quarter, which connects the historic city to a new CBD, which is being planned to the north of the railway line; another large station project is the New Delhi station - the new station and masterplan covers 86 hectares and is designed to replace the current unorganized structure that needs to be able to handle an average of 350,000 passengers a day from 256 trains on 12 platforms; Hong Kong Metro projects include a couple of the MTR - Sung Wong Toi Station, Lok Man Station, and Kennedy Town Station.

- What will you be talking at our conference The Future of AirRail – Airport Rail Terminal Integration, taking place in London Heathrow Sofitel Hotel, on 20 October this year?

- So how are airports different from stations and how they are integrated together? How stations can stimulate growth regionally and nationally? The future of HSR and how it’s designed to be a catalyst for growth. I’ll also examine how Hongqiao airport is a great example of a fully integrated Air-rail terminal. My presentation will also examine the relationship between airport and railway stations with specific reference to a series of infrastructure projects in Asia from TFP Farrells (TFP) – Korea, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Delhi, and Beijing.

Stefan Krummeck, Principal Director at TFP Farrells, Hong Kong is an international architect and urban designer, responsible for directing the design and coordination of key projects in the Hong Kong office.

With over 20 years experience in Europe and Asia, Stefan has an in-depth knowledge of the design, planning and integration of large complex, commercial and high-rise projects through all stages of procurement. He has led the architectural design on a multitude of integrated infrastructures beginning with Kowloon Station Development (winner of the 2001 Best International Interchange Award) that integrates the Hong Kong Airport Express rail line with local subway, buses, in-town check-in facilities and masterplanning of the retail and residential areas; the award-winning Incheon Airport Ground Transportation Centre (The World’s Best Airport, Skytrax’s World Airport Award 2009 & 2010) and the design for New Delhi Railway Station and its airport express and Beijing South Station (winner of the 2009 RIBA International Award and AIA HK 2009 Architecture Award).

Stefan has spoken and written papers on how to create a world-class transportation hub, outlining connectivity, integration, sustainability and context driven design. TFP has been working on China’s High Speed Rail delivering two of the four main high-speed station hubs and Hong Kong’s XRL connection to our new Guangzhou South Station.

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