THE BRAND NEW TRAIN STATION IN DELFT

Images and information are provided courtesy of Harry cock takes photographs using a mecanoo. mecanoo architects are responsible for the design of the new delft station, which is intended to make the experience of arriving at delft a momentous and unforgettable happening… copy: The newly constructed rail station in Delft is already operational. It was formally inaugurated on the 28th of February, 2015, which was a Saturday. The station, along with municipal buildings and the new city hall, is situated on top of a brand new rail tunnel that was constructed in lieu of the old concrete viaduct that has been dividing the city in half since 1965. Since the beginning, the concept behind mecanoo has been to create a station that makes it abundantly evident to guests that they have arrived in the municipality of Delft. francine houben, who serves as the creative director for mecanoo, says “As you ascend the escalators, the breathtaking ceiling that features the historic map of Delft will reveal itself.” An example of a contemporary “view of Delft” by the painter Johannes Vermeer may be seen when one looks out the window and sees the city and the old station. Arriving in Delft is now an adventure that will live long in the memory! For the design of mecanoo, which was directed by Francesco Veenstra, the character of Delft, which is exemplified by the blend of the past and the future, served as the conceptual starting point. The station is connected to the city hall that is now being renovation by a vaulted ceiling that contains a huge historic map of Delft and its surrounds from the year 1877. Within the station hall, the walls and columns have been embellished with a modern reinterpretation of the delft blue tiles that were originally available. It is anticipated that by the year 2017, it would be possible to walk straight from the station to the municipal hall. The glass exterior of the skyscraper is intended to seem as if it were reflecting the Dutch sky. An example of a vernacular window style that can be seen throughout the old city is represented by the panels of fused glass that have spheres that shape like lenses. The use of open panels made of high-performance glass in conjunction with closed panels made of fused glass allows for a significant amount of energy efficiency to be achieved. Throughout the course of the design process, the volume of the structure has been reduced and reshaped in order to produce a building form that is both compact and extremely efficient. A gentle transition into the current small-scale development of the delft city center and the nearby wester district is provided by the reduced roof lines at the corners of the building. A network of alleys and courtyards is formed by incisions in the glass volume. These alleyways and courtyards are themselves inspired by the complicated structure of the Dutch city of Delft herself. Within the first phase of the building of the station and municipal office, the station hall is included as a contributing component. Upon the completion of the city hall and the whole of the municipal offices in 2017, the entire complex will be made available to the general public. The demolition of the existing railway viaduct will take place in 2017. If you would like to see pictures of the new station on IndiaArtnDesign.com, please click here.