- Unique, column-free structural design on a small footprint.
- Architectural form and lighting design guide travellers intuitively through the building.
- Won the 2005 Schreudersprize for its innovative, multiple-use underground construction.
Arnhem Central Station is at the centre of many people’s local and long-distance journeys. Every weekday, around 55,000 travellers move through the station, where six modes of transport converge. The Public Transport Terminal handles the bulk of this interchange.
Smooth transition
The new terminal makes use of a unique freeform concrete shape to provide passengers with a smooth transition between different modes of transport.
Gently inclined surfaces and carefully designed lighting guide pedestrians intuitively through the building.
By building above and below ground, room was created for offices, shops, homes, a new station hall, a railway platform and underpass, a car tunnel, bicycle storage and a large parking garage.
Human behaviour
The small site footprint created an engineering challenge. Arup and the architect, UNStudio, worked in close collaboration to develop a unique structural design. Following detailed research, a space without columns was produced, designed around the people who will use it.
UNStudio and Arup’s designers modelled the complex shape of the transport terminal in 3D to reach the correct calculations. Specialist engineers helped to integrate the striking glass façade with the rest of the structural design.
In the terminal design, Arup’s multidisciplinary approach linked architectural expression to human behaviour in a unique and enlightening way.