Urban connections define modern cities. From public transportation to walking and cycling paths, mobility has the potential to enrich urban life. In Europe, planners and designers have a long history of working through city connections to integrate with existing historic fabrics and make room for contemporary transport solutions.
Taking a closer look at Europe's metro stations and new urban networks, it's quickly apparent that there is a significant investment in "hubs of mobility" that work together for different types of transportation. Bringing together mixed-use architecture and public space, these projects are made for better operations management and to promote density. The following designs look at urban pathways and metro stations built within the last ten years, projects made to reimagine how we move over, under, and around our cities.
Széll Kálmán Square / Építész Stúdió + Lépték-Terv
The project was the refurbishment of one of Budapest’s busiest downtown transport hubs and one of the most visited public squares. Due to the strict order of tramlines and roads, the main architectural and landscaping goal was to clean up and rationalize the inner parts, making the square a pedestrian priority public space with as many green areas as possible.
Rotterdam Central Station / West 8 + Benthem Crouwel Architects + MVSA Architects
Rotterdam Central Station is one of the most important transport hubs in The Netherlands. With 110,000 passengers a day the public transport terminal has as many travelers as Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. In addition to the European network of the High Speed Train (HST), Rotterdam Central is also connected to the light rail system, RandstadRail.
Cuyperspassage / Benthem Crouwel Architects
Cuyperspassage is the name of the new tunnel at Amsterdam Central Station that connects the city and the waters of the IJ-river. Since the end of 2015 it has been used by large numbers of cyclists, some 15,000 daily, and pedestrians 24 hours a day. The tunnel is clad on one side by nearly 80,000 Delft Blue tiles: a true Dutch spectacle at a central spot in Amsterdam.
Delft City Hall and Train Station / Mecanoo
From the outset, Mecanoo’s idea was to design a station that makes it clear to visitors that they have arrived in Delft. The station, in combination with the new city hall, sits atop a new train tunnel built in place of the old concrete viaduct that divided the city in two since 1965. Coming up the escalators, the ceiling with the historic map of Delft unfolds.
Løren Metro Station / Arne Henriksen Arkitekter + MDH Arkitekter
The neighbourhood of Løren, a former industrial area and military camp, has in recent years emerged as a new, attractive residential district. As a further development of the area a new metro station was planned. The station is located 27 meters underground and accessed by stairs, escalators or lifts from the two entrances.
Zürich Main Station / Dürig AG
The new underground Löwenstrasse transit station forms the centrepiece of the cross-city rail link. With its four railway tracks and two platforms it is situated below tracks 4 to 9 of the upper central station. The east end of the platform is aligned underneath the transverse hall of the historical main station, after which the tunnel descends beneath the River Limmat towards Oerlikon.
Porte Marguerite de Navarre / 169 architecture
This temporary project for a metro station follows the initiative of the city of Paris that aims to promote the use and re-use of bio-sourced materials. Elioth and 169-architecture defined several principles for the realization of this project in order to limit its carbon impact and encourage the use of short supply chains.
