LeShuttle ups its game with a forthcoming new terminal design by Hollaway Studio

Passengers using the Channel Tunnel’s car service, the LeShuttle train, will be getting a new experience on both sides of the water thanks to this proposed terminal transformation by Hollaway Studio. The comprehensive overhaul starts this year and will continue until 2030 as the service updates all facets of its cross-channel customer experience.

Overseen by local architects Hollaway Studio, the project is both an overhaul for the brand and a fine example of adaptive re-use, taking the bones of the original terminal structure and bringing it up to date inside and out. According to studio head Guy Hollaway, the project is a significant one for their modestly sized practice and came about due to their close involvement in local policy.

Projects like the town’s acclaimed Rocksalt Restaurant, f51, an indoor skatepark, and the Curious Brewery and Elwick Place leisure complex in Ashford and are all testament to Hollaway Studio’s engagement with architecture and urbanism in Kent and run alongside more bespoke private house projects.

‘I’m very involved in proposals for Kent and the future of Folkestone,’ Hollaway concurs, adding that his London and Kent-based practice also has a long-running relationship with LeShuttle. ‘They invited us to bid for their framework, which we won,’ he adds, a victory that has given the office responsibility over both English and French sides of the tunnel operation, with the latter in Coquelles, near Calais.

One of the catalysts for the overhaul was changing patterns of how the channel tunnel is used. LeShuttle worked with Engine, a design consultancy who dug deep into the customer profile and helped formulate the brief. ‘They broke it down into six types of customers,’ Hollaway explains, ‘from those who had all the time in the world to those who just want to fly through [as quickly as possibly].’

The modern emphasis on lingering, dining and possibly even shopping in the once liminal spaces of transit has re-shaped the modern airport and railway station. Now it’s LeShuttle’s turn.

‘Travel has changed – it’s not just about A to B,’ says Hollaway, ‘the whole experience of going on LeShuttle is part of your holiday.’ As the architect points out, this is perhaps the most sustainable way of getting from the UK to Europe with the service powered by low carbon electricity supplied by France’s EDF. All that was needed was a better spatial experience. Work has now started on site, with completion due before the end of next year.

Tasked with improving the dwell time, as well as other aspects of channel tunnel travel that don’t necessarily apply to other services, such as the facilities for pets, Hollaway Studio will expand and open up the space. ‘On average, about 1,000 dogs a day go via the tunnel,’ Hollaway notes, ‘it’s a great way to travel with a pet, so we’ve gone mad for them with a landscaped area and their own specialist space.’

In addition to new landscaping there’s also a sinuous lattice of reconstituted concrete which will envelop the refurbished terminal. This form was inspired by the microscopic structure of chalk, the material that the channel tunnel owes its existence to.

‘The tunnel is set within the sliver of chalk that runs between the UK and France,’ Hollaway explains, ‘the lattice weaves in and out of the framework of the existing building. At the end I will challenge anyone to tell that it’s not a completely new building. It’s a very sustainable approach.’ A new solar array will also cover the extended roofscape.

From the new check-in area beneath the canopy structure to a new food hall, much improved daylighting and better exterior weather protection, the new spaces should make the travel experience far more enjoyable. There will be more places to sit, better acoustics thanks to wood cladding and indoor planting, and a redesigned ticketing experience, along with better facilities for EV drivers.

‘We’ve spoken an awful lot with the client about travel anxiety and how to ease it,’ says Hollaway, who points out that the improved communications and more open, accessible feel of the space is geared towards creating a restful, less stressful state of mind. ‘It’s about creating architecture with longevity,’ the architect says, noting his long experience of designing buildings for the harsh coastal environment. ‘If you’re an architect living down here you spend a lot of time talking about seagulls,’ he adds ruefully.

Ultimately, the new building will serve as the country’s gateway to Europe (and to the UK), a 24/7 environment that will act as a beacon, both for travellers and for sustainable architectural design.

HollawayStudio.co.uk, @Hollawaystudio, LeShuttle.com