Jihlava train station

ZDAR

• Multidisciplinary practice

Jihlava HSR hub: a minimalist, post-carbon gateway through the forest.

Between Prague and Brno, the Czech rail network operator, Sprava zeleznic, is developing the European lines of the future Berlin-Vienna and Munich-Warsaw HSR lines. As part of this new infrastructure, the Jihlava terminal, located on the outskirts of the city at the heart of a complex infrastructure network and a rich natural landscape, will serve as a hub between the high-speed line, public transport in the Vysocina region and car transport. A light ribbon that glistens in the sunlight and slips between the trees at the edge of the forest, the Jihlava HSR hub will serve all forms of mobility – gradually phasing out the use of fossil fuels. The project itself is conceived to be reversible and an opportunity to preserve the surrounding nature. The terminal is minimalist, designed to minimise its environmental footprint while offering the best possible conditions for users. Its architecture, both frugal and expressive, adapts to the topography of the site and builds on the existing infrastructure: the forecourt and station concourse, open on all four sides, are designed between the high level of the HSR viaduct and the low level of the conventional line. The design of this post-carbon station is based on passive architecture principles and incorporates bioclimatic methods, greenhouse effect in winter, natural lighting, through- ventilation, protective devices, etc.), a photovoltaic roof, the use of bio and geosourced materials and the reuse of excavated earth. While the infrastructure is complex, we designed an effective passenger wayfinding, surrounded by nature.A canopy forming a large ribbon of wooden structure, covered in zinc, runs through the landscape. The architectural staging of this poetic concourse will intuitively guide passengers from a forested forecourt to the platforms, passing through the station’s interchange hall, under the railway viaduct.