Monuments of Context: New Tube for London

Abstract

Deep in the heart of Zone 4 North London, “Monuments of Context: New Tube for London” proposes a new train line for the London Underground, the Cosmopolitan line, which is comprised of three new stations: the Three Hammers, Arrandene, and Apex Corner. These three new stations radically reflect the multicultural suburban context in which they are embedded, honoring immediate local context undoing centuries of typical British imperialism and their architectural demonstrations of state power. By experimentally incrementing a popular pub, a raving roundabout, and a public park, the critical distinction between station and place is phenomenally blurred, letting Londoners alight at a sensationalized crescendo of the borough beyond the barriers. The inherent nationalistic design lineage that flows within the bloodline of the city’s existing station portfolio is dismantled in this thesis to create a new design language that appropriately reflects the city's progressive DNA.