The area around Groningen’s railway station is undergoing a transformation into a dynamic urban zone with the 19th-century station at its centre. The building was fully restored a while ago, and is now being furnished with a forecourt raised to the level of the station concourse and the platforms. This ‘city balcony’ (Stadsbalkon) offers travellers and passers-by a place to take a promenade with a view across the city. Beneath it there is a storage facility for about 4.000 bikes, which is set on an underground thoroughfare for cyclists. The modularization and perforation of the pedestrian deck establishes a diversity of links between the spaces above and below.

The city balcony represents a lively, urban forum for city residents as well as for departing or arriving visitors. The plaza provides a traffic-free zone to pleasantly while away some time with a view of the city and space for terraces and cultural activities. It transforms the station into a fitting gateway to Groningen whereby the city can present itself as an atmospheric city of culture.