Info & Images:
Courtesy Mecanoo
Photography:Harry Cock
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Mecanoo
Architects design the new Delft station, marking one’s arrival at Delft as a ceremonial and memorable experience...
Delft’s new
train station is now in use. It was officially opened on Saturday, 28th
February 2015. The station, in combination with municipal offices and the new
city hall, sits atop a new train tunnel built in place of the old concrete
viaduct that has divided the city in two since 1965. From the outset, Mecanoo’s
idea has been to design a station that makes it clear to visitors that they
have arrived in Delft.
Says Francine
Houben, Mecanoo’s creative director, “Coming up the escalators, the impressive
ceiling with the historic map of Delft unfolds. When you look outside, you see
the city and the old station as a modern ‘View of Delft’ by the painter
Johannes Vermeer. Arriving in Delft is now an unforgettable experience!”
The character of
Delft, epitomised by the combination of past and future, was the starting point
for the design led by Francesco Veenstra of Mecanoo. A vaulted ceiling features
an enormous historic 1877 map of Delft and its surroundings, connecting the
station with the city hall that is currently under construction. Within the
station hall, walls and columns are adorned with a contemporary
re-interpretation of Delft Blue tiles. In 2017, you will be able to walk
directly from the station into the city hall.
The glass skin
of the building is designed to reflect the Dutch skies. The panels of fused
glass with lens-like spheres reference a vernacular window design that can be
seen throughout the historic city. The combination and rhythm of open panels of
high performance glass and closed fused glass panels enable a high degree of
energy efficiency.
Throughout the
design process the building volume has been shaved and reformed to create a
compact, highly efficient building form. The lowered roof lines at the corners
provide a gradual transition towards the existing small-scale development of
the Delft city centre and the adjacent Wester Quarter. Incisions in the glass
volume form a pattern of alleyways and courtyards, which are themselves
inspired by the intricate structure of Delft itself.
The station hall
is a part of the first phase of the development of the station and municipal
office. When the old railway viaduct will be demolished in 2017, and the city
hall and entire municipal offices completed, the whole complex will be open to
the public.
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