Work on the central station in the Dutch city of Arnhem has now been going on for 20 years. Despite ongoing construction work, the area has been appropriated by a user group that the planner considers unpredictable and often finds no space: skaters. A success for the responsible landscape architects from Bureau B+B. But where did it come from?
by creating a subtle
Rooms without obligation to buy
Images: ©Hufton+Crow
The design of Arnhem station is the result of more than two decades of collaboration between the architects UNStudio and the landscape architects from Bureau B+B. It presented the planners with various challenges. Topographically alone: the station is located on the slope of the Veluwe massif and the planners had to overcome a height difference of 20 meters. They achieved this by creating a subtle, constantly changing landscape. The folded, undulating natural stone surfaces largely trace the terrain below, linking visitor flows and ensuring a smooth transition between the different elevation levels.
The station is located on the slope of the Veluwe massif and the planners had to overcome a height difference of 20 meters. They achieved this by creating a subtle, ever-changing landscape.
The folded, undulating natural stone surfaces create a flowing transition between the different height levels. The wooden benches are formed from the edges of the sloping natural stone surfaces. Skaters use the natural stone benches for their tricks.
View from the "city balcony".
Design gaps as an opportunity for appropriation
Pictures: Frank Hanswijk
If you are not continuing your journey immediately, you can also make yourself comfortable on the wooden benches that emerge from the edges of the sloping natural stone surfaces in the quiet corners of the station grounds. You don’t have to buy anything, as there is no obligation to buy anything to sit down in the rooms outside the station. This is one of the reasons why the Arnhem station forecourt is so lively. And it is in turn an explanation for the fact that these local people tend to belong to those population groups that are otherwise often pushed out of public spaces – such as older people, young people, skaters or homeless people.
The Arnhem train station shows this: The less the purpose of a public space is defined, the more opportunities users have to implement their own ideas. This is of particular benefit to population groups that are often deliberately excluded when planning public spaces. The square design also benefited from the fact that it took around two decades to implement. This allowed the user groups, who tend to be marginalized, to appropriate the space in the long term.
Curious? You can find the full article on Arnhem station in the February 2019 issue of G+L.
Translated from the English by Sigrid Ehrmann