Blackfriars station: Architect – Pascall + Wilson Architects
Engineer – Jacobs and Tony and Gee and Partners
Contractor – Balfour Beatty
Building component: Steel I beam – component is used in bending.
Material properties: Bending is caused by compression and tension on opposing surfaces of a material – the further these two forces are, the less bending there is. The I beam increases the distance between these two surfaces with minimal material. Steel is malleable and flexible, making it suitable to be placed under bending. It also makes the manufacture of the ‘I’ shape easier, as a solid steel beam can be hot rolled on either side.