International Terminal
Waterloo Station
York Road
London SE1 7ND
United Kingdom

Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners 1993

Best known for its 400-meter-long curved glass roof, Grimshaw's International Terminal at Waterloo Station provides airport-quality accommodation for the London end of the Eurostar trains services through the Channel Tunnel to Paris and Brussels.

The length of the trains and the curve of the five new tracks dedicated to the Eurostar service at the side of the existing station determined the geometry of the new building, including the distinctive roof.

Other elements of the building include a reinforced concrete box to accommodate an underground car park and provide a foundation over the Underground train lines, and a two-story viaduct supporting the Eurostar platforms, which are reached by escalator from a subterranean 'departure lounge'. The roof accounted for 10 percent of the overall budget.

In contrast to more recent complex curved glass roofs, such as Grimshaw's own Eden Project or Norman Foster's British Museum courtyard, the Waterloo roof was designed to use standard-size glass sheets, which overlap and use a concertina joint to accommodate the dual curve of the roof-arch and the track.

Photographs Jay Berman 1998 (updated 2006)

How to visit

The International Terminal is at the west end of the station concourse at Waterloo Station. Most of the interior and platforms can be seen only with a ticket for travel on the Eurostar.