A unified public space
The plaza in front of the station is seamlessly merged to a green esplanade: together they form a 300 meter long continuous, unified public space leading into the heart of Rotterdam. A parking garage for 750 cars and a bicycle storage for 5,200 bikes are located underground. The complexity of buses, trams, taxis, and short-term parking demanded a number of ingenious solutions, which successfully created a single barrier-free public space that prioritizes the pedestrian. The station building and the plaza share the same red-colored natural stone pavement.
Interior: natural light
Upon entering the bright high hall from the city center, the traveler has a clear overview of the entire station, including the trains waiting above the concourse. The wood finish on the inside of the hall, combined with the euphorically shaped structural beams of the platform roof creates a warm and welcoming ambience. The largely transparent roof structure covering the tracks over a length of 250 meters, floods the platforms with natural light. The glass plates of the roof vary the level of light transmittance by utilizing different solar cells patterns, which produce an ever-changing and fascinating play of shadows on the platforms.
Rotterdam Central District Masterplan
Team CS also created a masterplan for the Rotterdam Central District. The ultra-modern station and the surrounding (re-)developments, with a total ground surface of 57000 m2, together reinforced the unique location of the Rotterdam Central District within Europe. Today Rotterdam Central District area is a center for living, working, and travelling with a thriving 24-hour economy.

In June 2004, Team CS received the commission to build the new train station. West 8 was involved in the team as architect, urban designer and landscape architect. The station opened in 2014.
Photography: Jeroen Musch, Jannes Linders
Client
Prorail / Gemeente Rotterdam
Partners
Benthem Crouwel / Meyer & Van Schooten, Arcadis
Awards
American Architecture Prize 2017, Best Building of 2015 by Architects Association of the Netherlands (BNA), The Nederlandse Bouwprijs (Dutch Construction Award) 2015 in the Buildings Category, Architect of the Year 2014 for Team CS, Rotterdam Architectuurprijs (Rotterdam Architecture Prize) 2014, The Dutch Design Award (2014) in the Habitat Catergory, The International Brunel Award (2014) for outstanding railway architecture design in the Category I Station Buildings, The Nationale Staal Prijs in Non-Residential Construction category (2014), The Wood Architecture Prize (2014), The Daylight Award in non-residential buildings category (2014), StiB (Steden in Beweging = Cities in Motion) Award (2014) and Dutch Golden Phoenix Award in Area Transformation category (2014)