Since 1996, UNStudio has been at work on a master plan for neighbourhood containing Arnhem’s central station. Soon 110,000 passengers will pass through the station each day. For years the 2 towers erected in the first phase stood isolated, and the parking garage lacked an entrance. In this context, the rounded openings above Willemsplein, an expressway that had just been resituated below grade, and the long roofs above the train platforms were perplexing.
The transfer hall now serves as the hinge between the different components of this infrastructure project. At street level passengers have access to the long-distance bus station and the pedestrian tunnel to the train platforms 8 m above ground level. The bus station (local traffic) is 4.4 m below grade; from here bicyclists head down to the 2-storey bike garage. Below it is the parking garage. The arrangement of the transfer hall and the system of ramps and sloped levels between the levels result from 3D analyses of passenger flow and sightlines.
The transfer hall now serves as the hinge between the different components of this infrastructure project. At street level passengers have access to the long-distance bus station and the pedestrian tunnel to the train platforms 8 m above ground level. The bus station (local traffic) is 4.4 m below grade; from here bicyclists head down to the 2-storey bike garage. Below it is the parking garage. The arrangement of the transfer hall and the system of ramps and sloped levels between the levels result from 3D analyses of passenger flow and sightlines.