powerhouse company + de zwarte hond unite assen station with triangular wooden roof

powerhouse company and de zwarte hond have united a railway station in the netherlands with a triangular wooden roof that appears to float above a series of smaller brick buildings. designed to connect the railway line and the city of assen, the canopy creates an inviting atmosphere for travelers with integrated windows that allow a play of sunlight on the platforms below.

all images by sebastian van damme, unless otherwise stated

assen station was designed by powerhouse company and de zwarte hond on behalf of NS, the country’s principal passenger railway operator, ProRail, a government task organization that oversees maintenance of the railway network infrastructure, and assen municipality. the project has been designed to be as inviting and open as possible, while serving as a sustainable new landmark for the city.

image by egbert de boer

measuring 3,000 square meters (32,292 sqf), the roof is made entirely of wood. ‘the shape of the canopy was created by placing an apparently simple triangle on the site, with a slight slope at the entrance of the underground bicycle shed and a curve at the level of the tracks,’ explains nanne de ru, founder of powerhouse company. ‘this has created an elegant, almost floating structure that responds on all sides to its context.’

the wooden structure is 10 meters (33 ft) high and has three uneven sides with lengths of 78, 88 and 90 meters (256, 289, and 295 ft). by constructing the roof with freestanding columns, the program beneath can easily be adapted — future-proofing the station for potential changes in passenger numbers and commercial facilities. for durability and easy maintenance, the columns and roof edges are finished in a coated metal finish in a champagne color that harmonizes with the wooden beams. additionally, a green sedum roof surface has been added along the edges for buffering rainwater.

under the wooden roof construction, detached brick buildings offer space for the commercial and station-related functions. the purple-red toned facing bricks match the red carpet of brick pavers and the red porphyry of the station floor. the station has been conceived as a pedestrian-friendly public plaza that marks the beginning of the main route towards the city center. 

the transport flows of the station square have been resolved with a new platform tunnel for pedestrians, the restoration and shortening of the existing bicycle tunnel, a car tunnel and an underground bicycle shed for 2,600 bikes. ‘the new station gives substance to the ambitions that de zwarte hond previously incorporated in the master plan study for the florijn axis and the urban plan for the assen station area: good accessibility for all modalities,’ says jeroen de willigen, partner of de zwarte hond.

1/12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

client: assen municipality, ProRail, NS
architects: powerhouse company and de zwarte hond
partners in charge: stefan prins, jeroen de willigen
team: nanne de ru, erik roerdink, dik houben, maarten diederix, eric van keulen, erwin van strien, ben van der meer, max tala nossin, tjeerd jellema, yoon kyun (peter) lee, marc beeftink, chris ten have, julius kirchert, paul rikken, katarzina klepacz, jeffrey ouwens, martijn korendijk, freddy siekmans, martine drijftholt, kris schaasberg, richard vrijland
main structural engineer: gilbert van der lee, breed integrated design
structural engineer wood construction: miebach ingenieurbüro
mobility advisor: InVra plus
installation advisor: adviesbureau vanderweele
fire safety advisor: munnik brandadvies
main contractor: hegeman bouwgroep
wood structure: heko spanten
steel structure: broeze
synthetic roof: licotec
photography: sebastian van damme, egbert de boer