Rotterdam Central Station by Team CS (Benthem Crouwel, MVSA and West 8)

The new Central Station of Rotterdam, Rotterdam Centraal, is re-anchored in the city centre and integrated in the European network of transport hubs. A Grand Station of international standing has been created. Rotterdam Centraal is part of the European network of high-speed railway lines and a nodal point in the city itself. This dual relationship, with the city and with Europe, gives the station and the station precinct a special dimension. At Rotterdam Central, European travellers enter the Netherlands and Dutch travellers enter Europe.

The old station by Sybold van Ravesteyn, which consisted of a station hall, a pedestrian tunnel and open platforms, each with its own canopy, was out of step with current requirements with respect to size, layout and grandeur. What was needed was a new station, designed as an entity: the station hall now runs from Proveniersplein on the north side to Stationsplein on the south – in other words, the 250-metre-wide platform roof forms a whole with the main concourse and the train travellers’ tunnel. The result is that from the moment of arrival, train passengers have the sense of entering a building.

The design for the station and the surrounding area was made by Team CS; a cooperation between Benthem Crouwel Architects, MVSA Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten and West 8. A salient feature of the location is the big difference in character between the areas north and south of the station. To the north there is a residential area, while the south side is part of the central city. These differences in ambience are accentuated in the design of the station and its surroundings.

On the north side, the station manifests as a transparent hall that matches the character of the late nineteenth-century Proveniers district. Major extensions were avoided here and the green landscaping was enhanced. The new station roof makes a modest and transparent impression on this side. On the city centre side the station exhibits a new grandeur that is in keeping with the dimensions of the imposing high-rise buildings that characterize the entrance to the city. Rotterdam’s urbanity is reinforced here by a metropolitan station architecture in which the building and the new station square merge. On this side, the station roof folds to create a welcoming and very spacious station concourse, which also provides direct access to the new metro station below.

With the trams relocated to the east side of the station square, the public space in front of the station now offers arriving travellers a genuine entrance to the city, free of criss-crossing traffic. The new square extends to Kruisplein and from there to Schouwburgplein. The enormous scale of the new station is mitigated by the choice of wood as cladding for the gigantic roof.

Rotterdam Centraal is a pleasant, open and transparent public transport terminal which also functions as a meeting point. Interweaving in the urban network the station connects the various characters of the city and marks the beginning of the cultural axis. This modern and efficient building offers all the amenities and comfort for the present and future travelers to and from the port city.

Alcantara Stone™ had manufactured and supplied the ladders for this station. Collaborating with the CS team and the contractor Dekker Natuursteen, we produce these items, which has an interesting and singular design, made with our exclusive Alcantara Black® and the Smooth Design™ finished. Following the CAD designs and the concepts, our expert handcraft men did this work to manufacture an awesome footprints for this ladders.

The old station by Sybold van Ravesteyn was out of step with current requirements with respect to size, layout and grandeur. The new Rotterdam Central Station, in every respect, must be capable to match the efficiency, capacity, comfort, and style of other major stations such as Madrid, Paris, London, and Brussels.

Steel ODS-Jansen systems for transparent curtain walls.

ODS BV provides total solutions in steel windows, doors and façades with Jansen sections. Our steel and stainless steel Jansen sections open unprecedented creative perspectives. Steel is extremely solid and dimensionally stable. This ensures that larger expanses of glass are possible with slim sections so that the architect can play with the incidence of light to the highest level. Especially for curtain walls, ODS recommends and supplies Jansen VISS systems.

The steel load-bearing structure consists of a view width of 50 or 60 mm and has a depth of up to 150 mm as standard. If larger spans demand more than what is supplied as standard, VISS Ixtra can be used. This is a customisation with which even larger spans can be achieved while retaining the light and transparent character.

An example of this system has been used within the Central Railway Station Rotterdam.

By: Benthem Crouwel

Rotterdam Centraal

Rotterdam has a new Central Station. This public transport terminal is re-anchored in the city centre and integrated in the European network of transport hubs created by the arrival of the high speed rail system (HSL). A Grand Station of international standing is created. In the design, the city is drawn to the new station by compacting the small-scale urban fabric round about so that railway zone and city become a single entity. The finer texture with its new sight lines and the mix of living and working will greatly improve the social climate of this zone.

On entering the tall light-filled station concourse, travellers have an overall view and see at once where the trains are. The sunken and widened passage beneath the tracks is a natural continuation of the concourse. Platforms have a largely transparent roof some 250 metres long spanning the entire track zone. The entrance on Spoorsingel is a modest one in keeping with the low-key residential area there and the smaller passenger flow. In stark contrast, the tall glass and timber concourse on the city side is clearly the main gateway to the metropolitan city centre. The new building's shape expresses the internal logistics of this transport hub. Marking the onset of Rotterdam's 'cultural axis', the new Grand Central Station points the way to the city's heart.

Rotterdam Central is part of the European network of high-speed railway lines and a nodal point in the city itself. This dual relationship, with the city and with Europe, gives the station and the station precinct a special dimension. At Rotterdam Central, European travellers enter the Netherlands and Dutch travellers enter Europe.

The old station by Sybold van Ravesteyn was out of step with current requirements with respect to size, layout and grandeur. What was needed was a new station, designed as one entity: the station hall now runs from Proveniersplein on the north side to Stationsplein on the south – in other words, the 250-metre-wide platform roof forms a whole with the main concourse and the train travellers’ tunnel. The result is that from the moment of arrival, train passengers have the sense of entering a building.

A salient feature of the location is the big difference in character between the areas north and south of the station. To the north there is a residential area. Here the new station roof makes a modest and transparent impression. On the city centre side the station exhibits a new grandeur that is in keeping with the dimensions of the imposing high-rise buildings that characterize the entrance to the city. Rotterdam’s urbanity is reinforced here by a metropolitan station architecture in which the building and the new station square merge. Here the station roof folds to create a welcoming and very spacious station concourse, which also provides direct access to the new metro station below.

Together with ProRail and NS, Gemeente Rotterdam was the client for the Rotterdam Central station. Rotterdam Central station was part of a large effort to improve the bigger scale train stations in the Netherlands called New Key Projects. Alongside Rotterdam projects were started for Amsterdam-Zuid/WTC, Utrecht Centraal, Den Haag Centraal, Arnhem Centraal and Breda Centraal. With the new High Speed Line these stations are key projects on the route. The State, ProRail and the six involved municipalities used the investments into the HSL as a catalyst for urban developments. The developments were approached in an integral manner to utilize economic opportunities and realize a high level of quality. The State supports these developments with a budget of around 1 Billion euros.

The Official opening of the station.