The comprehensive redevelopment of King’s Cross Station has transformed an historic facility into a modern transport interchange and iconic gateway to London 

  LONDON – 3 January 2013 – John McAslan + Partners, a leading architectural practice in the U.K., today announced that its King’s Cross Station Redevelopment project in London has won a 2012 Be Inspired Award from Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley is the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. The project won in the “Innovation in Building ” category. The recipients of the Be Inspired Awards are selected by independent panels of jurors comprising accomplished Bentley users and distinguished industry experts. The awards honor the extraordinary work of Bentley users improving and sustaining the world’s infrastructure, recognizing outstanding and innovative project achievements in infrastructure design, construction, and operations.

Commenting on the award presented to John McAslan + Partners , Huw Roberts, Bentley Vice President, Core Marketing, said, “The ‘Innovation in Building’ award category represents projects employing advanced technology to aid in the delivery of high-quality buildings in terms of their aesthetics, adherence to program, meeting budget, environmental sustainability, operational performance, compliance with regulations and accreditations, and providing a clear return on investment. The projects in this category demonstrate excellence in designing, building, or operating one or more buildings.

“The GBP 547 million redevelopment of King’s Cross railway station will transform this historic facility into a modern transport interchange and iconic gateway to London. Restoring the historic façade, vaulted train shed, and other features, as well as interfacing with existing rail, underground rail, and road networks required ongoing verification of the design. John McAslan + Partners used MicroStation to produce an accurate 3D representation at all stages.

The Western Concourse at King’s Cross Station, 19 March 2012

“The 3D representation of the Western Concourse roof – which covers 7,500 square meters, rises 20 meters, and spans 150 meters – allowed an international team to design 16 steel tree-form columns that support the single-span structure amid a network of subway and service tunnels. The benefits of rapid file-sharing and high-quality, validated data extended from schematic design through to construction, producing time and cost savings.

“The judges selected this project for its ability to innovatively bring simulation and reality together to restore the historic fabrics of this property while adding and optimizing new designs and features for the modern-day traveler. Understanding that ‘collaboration is a fundamental tool,’ John McAslan + Partners’ use of MicroStation produced accurate 3D representations at all project stages to ensure shared understanding of the design across the project team. On behalf of my colleagues at Bentley, I congratulate John McAslan + Partners on this extraordinary accomplishment!”  

Hiro Aso, Project Director at John McAslan + Partners, said, “It is a tremendous honor and pleasure to win a Be Inspired Award for this world-class project. Our practice creates architecture that improves people’s lives, and we firmly believe that buildings should be underpinned by a powerful idea. That idea should be an intelligent and logical response to functionality and a sense of place, and the power of that idea should be embedded in the built form. In this way, our clients get the buildings they need and society gets the architecture it deserves. Bentley’s advanced information modeling software that facilitates information mobility across project disciplines and, thus, the sharing of information in collaborative workflows helped us realize yet another powerful idea in the form of the King’s Cross Station Redevelopment project.”

About the Be Inspired Awards Program

Since 2004, the Be Inspired Awards competition has showcased excellence and innovation in the design, construction, and operations of architecture and engineering infrastructure projects around the world. The Be Inspired Awards is unique – the only competition of its kind that is global in scope and comprehensive in categories covered, encompassing all types of infrastructure projects. In the awards program, which is open to all users of Bentley software, independent panels of industry experts select finalists and a winner for each category.

The awards are presented during a ceremony at Be Inspired: Innovations in Infrastructure , an invitation-only conference that provides a unique forum for senior-level executives to learn about the innovations driving the development and operations of the world’s top infrastructure projects. The 2012 Be Inspired Awards ceremony recognized outstanding achievement and innovation in infrastructure design, construction, and operations by winners selected from 58 project finalists by five independent panels of jurors. In total, nominations from more than 250 organizations in 39 countries were submitted in the 2012 awards program. For additional information about the Be Inspired Awards and Be Inspired: Innovations in Infrastructure Conference, visit www.bentley.com/BeInspired .  

About Bentley Systems, Incorporated  

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Bentley Systems applies information mobility to improve asset performance by leveraging information modeling through integrated projects for intelligent infrastructure. Its solutions encompass the MicroStation platform for infrastructure design and modeling, the ProjectWise platform for infrastructure project team collaboration and work sharing, and the AssetWise platform for infrastructure asset operations – all supporting a broad portfolio of interoperable applications and complemented by worldwide professional services. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,000 colleagues in 50 countries, more than $500 million in annual revenues, and since 2003 has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions. For additional information about Bentley, visit www.bentley.com.

About John McAslan + Partners

John McAslan + Partners is a leading architectural and design practice with a broad portfolio of award-winning British and international architecture generated by its offices in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Having established an early reputation for rational, detail conscious design that delivered strikingly innovative buildings, the practice is carrying this approach even more boldly into new projects in every sector.

Today, John McAslan + Partners has a strong reputation for delivering new-build architecture, and giving vibrant and sustainable life to old and historic buildings through adaptive interventions. The practice was declared World Architect of the Year and Transport Architect of the Year for 2009. It regularly wins RIBA Building of the Year awards, and has been named AJ’s Architectural Practice of the Year on a number of occasions. The practice’s work is widely published and its experts in every sector are frequently sought out for speaking engagements and topical comment in the media.

For additional information about John McAslan + Partners, visit www.mcaslan.co.uk .

For further information, please contact:
Robert Torday, Director of Marketing & Communications
E r.torday@mcaslan.co.uk T 020 7756 8515 M 077 8000 1905
Alethea Cininas, Marketing Assistant
E a.cininas@mcaslan.co.uk T 020 7874 1212