A Warm Welcome to the City

Rotterdam Centraal Station, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Interweaving in the existing urban network with placemaking, Rotterdam Centraal Station connects the various characters of the city and marks the beginning of its cultural axis.

Designed by Team CS, a cooperation between Benthem Crouwel Architects, Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten, and West 8, Rotterdam Centraal Station is one of the major transportation hubs of the Netherlands with high-speed connections to Belgium, France and The United Kingdom. The station successfully blends the functionality of an international high-speed station with the city’s vision for progressive urban development and renewal. With over 110,000 visitors a day, the station matches the practicality, capacity, comfort and allure of the central stations of Madrid, Paris, London and Brussels.

In addition to the design of the station hall, the project included a major redesign of the infrastructure logistics regarding the arrival space of the station – the tram station was moved to the east side and vehicular traffic was moved into in new tunnel to create space for a grand public square. This redesign not only provides space for gathering but also allows for a seamless integration of the station with the rest of the city. Pedestrian and bicycle routes are pleasant and safe and travellers are given a welcoming entrance into the city, free from traffic congestion.

Placing the entire station under one roof – the design for Rotterdam Centraal creates an open, light, warm and inviting space while addressing the challenge of connecting two very different parts of the city.

1 — 4 Natural light, the warmth of daylight and modernity are the key elements in the station design. The roof structure is largely transparent on the Provenier side of the station, forming a continuous cover across the rail tracks over a length of 250 meters and ensuring the platforms are flooded with light. The gleam of sunshine and the heat generated by a full glass roof is tempered by a print in the glass and the different patterns of solar cells (covering 10,000 m2 of the total roof area of 28,000 m2). This creates an ever-changing, fascinating play of shadows on the platforms.

2 — 4 While the wood cladding inside the generous arrivals hall creates a warm welcome for those entering the city, the 40 meter wide by 4.5 meter high LCD screen broadcasts footage of the Rotterdam harbor, in an effort to re-establish the city’s unique bond with the harbor.

3 — 4 Alongside clear wayfinding, the efficient layout of the station creates a seamless traveller experience.

4 — 4 Punctuated by a line of double-stemmed plane trees, the plaza in front of the station seamlessly merges into a green esplanade forming a 300 meter long continuous, unified public space leading into the heart of Rotterdam.

Urban
Integration

1 — 4 The large plaza out front functions not only as a public gathering space, but as a place to display unique works of art, such as Moments Contained, a sculpture by Thomas J. Price.

2 — 4 The roof of the hall, on the outside clad with stainless steel, gives the building an iconic character and points to the heart of the city.

3 — 4 One of the fundamental challenges for the design of Rotterdam Central was the difference in the urban character of the north and south sides of the station. The entrance on the north side has a more modest design: a transparent hall that matches the character of the late nineteenth-century Proveniers district.

4 — 4 In the Proveniers district, the focus was on enhancing the landscape to reinforce the character of the 19th-century Dutch provincial city wherever possible.

The Grand Station Hall welcomes all visitors and encourages them to explore the city beyond the station.

1 — 5 In acknowledgement of the previous station, the new Rotterdam Centraal preserved the original clock and font used at the Stations' main entrance.

2 — 5 In a nod to the original design of the station by Sybold of Ravesteyn in 1957- one of the original sculptures commission by the architects, affectionately nicknamed the 'Speculaasjes' (Speculoos Cookies), was kept and placed on the platform above the Stations' primary bike tunnel.

3 — 5

4 — 5 The design paid attention to even the smallest details- repeating the Y pattern from the station's columns in the handrails .

5 — 5 In addition to all-glass facades, seven large skylights are installed in the South Hall. Depending on the position of the sun, beams of natural light are cast inside the hall via mirrors in the roof. This offers a “Rembrandt effect”, which is inspired by the image of Grand Central in New York (1934). To mimic the evening and morning hours of daylight, custom lighting has been installed.

Incorporating Meaningful Details

1 — 5 The pattern of the Speculaasjes is repeated in other elements as well, including the cladding of the information station and glass on the station's roof.

2 — 5 The massive glass roof structure covers the entirety of the station and contains over 130,000 solar cells - representing an 8% reduction in the station's CO2 emissions.

3 — 5 Grand Y columns support the roof structure and allow the light to flood into the lower concourse.

4 — 5 The 'Y' shaped column motif returns in the form of double-stemmed trees, lining the new arrival into the city.

5 — 5 The station building and the plaza share the same red-coloured natural stone pavement creating a unified experience as visitors move between the two spaces.

Team CS also created a masterplan for the Rotterdam Central District. The ultra-modern station and the surrounding developments reinforce the unique location of Rotterdam within Europe. Today the area is a center for living, working, and travelling with a thriving 24-hour economy.