Reduce traffic, design connections and establish clarity – with these three core ideas, &MICA is transforming a transit area into a vibrant zone of encounter with a welcoming atmosphere. The design for a mobility hub south of Krefeld’s main railway station pursues the goal of enabling everyone to easily and safely participate in mobility while simultaneously creating as much public open space as possible.
Clear axes and paths guide people and views. The minimalist architectural language with notable accents helps to provide orientation in the heterogeneous built environment. Traffic calming measures ensure that cyclists, pedestrians and travellers feel safe and comfortable.
As the heart of the ensemble, a slender linear bar slides in front of the railway tracks. This contemporary counterpart to the station building across from it alludes to Krefeld’s past: the design refers both to historic railway arches and to the city’s steel and textile tradition.
Egalitarian Space for Mobility, Work and Lingering
The Krefeld promenade extends atop a plinth of pigmented rammed concrete that will accommodate public uses with restaurants and retail shops. Arches punctuate the façade and give it rhythm. Behind are the cycling infrastructure, waiting areas and the entrance to the railway station. Sitting atop the plinth is also a multifunctional building with spaces for coworking, designed as a fixed-glass post-and-rail structure. A distinctive feature is its lightweight framework of round steel columns.
Where the linear bar meets the promenade, the clear framework of the façade dissolves beneath the self-supporting roof and the rigid structure becomes a scattered forest of columns. Fabric-covered louvres provide shade and produce a uniform, light appearance.
While a lively transit space on the eastern side of the bar opens up to the entrance into the main railway station and also forms the forecourt of the bus terminal, a generous staircase on its western side leads up from the ground floor level to the promenade. One of the most efficient multi-storey bike parks in the city is being built here, with space for over 1,000 bicycles on seven levels.
The ceilings of the coworking spaces as well as the self-supporting roof over the forest of columns and above the bicycle parking garage are designed entirely as composite timber structures.
Location
Krefeld
Type
Experiencing City
Client
City of Krefeld, The Mayor, Urban and Landscape Planning
Time Frame
2021
Size
Approx. 9.910 m² GFA
Services
Concept
Status
Concept
Visualisation
&MICA
