studio frank haverman's installation provides a transit shelter amidst amsterdam train tracks

appearing as an alien-commanded vehicle that just landed on earth, studio frank havermans created a vivid red transit shelter inspired by the former sfb head office in sloterdijk, amsterdam. the sculptural piece is heavily influenced by the neighboring, robust and enclosed building that dates from the early 1970s. seen in plan view, the building’s ring-shaped floor plans allude to a modernist style that encouraged the designer to reinterpret it in his installation.

the project, named KAPKAR / GTO-B10 was conceived by isolating and folding fragments of the building’s floor plan and transforming them into the angular transit shelter. the designer also used the ambiguous nature of sloterdijk as a guideline because of its charming yet unusual infrastructural landscape, informing the shelter’s geometry and position within the site.

KAPKAR / GTO-B10 is strategically placed on a residual area between the exit roads, elevated train lanes and cycle paths opposite sloterdijk train station, the second largest an international hub of amsterdam. the shape evolves by unfolding from a planar dimension to the volumetric, with angled elements jutting out in different directions.

the installation nestles amidst the train tracks to provide a more intimate space to reflect on the city and experience the urban dynamics from another perspective. it emphasizes and embraces the urban fabric and transportation, to allow guests to experience these conditions consciously. reviving the desolate site, studio frank havermans’ piece aims to bring people in the area and use it as a shelter, while at the same time stepping out of it to become fully immersed in the surrounding rough, loud infrastructure of the city.

project info:

name: KAPKAR / GTO-B10
project: play station sloterdijk
artistic director: bonnie dumanaw
manufacturing: koos schaart adventures + studio frank havermans
photography: rené de wit
technical drawings: denis bacal
construction calculation: henk semplonius
commissioned by: EDGE technologies, ABP, APG