Arnhem Centraal Public Transport Terminal

The organic shapes of UNStudio’s design for Arnhem’s public transport terminal added a certain amount of complexity to the construction process. No two curves are the same. It looks magnificent but presented a major challenge during the build. As a consortium, we discussed this matter at length with the client during the tendering period. The challenges we faced encouraged us to think outside the box. Originally, the plan was to construct the hall completely out of concrete. However, this presented a number of risks and was also an expensive option. Ultimately we decided to build the roof out of steel, by making use of shipbuilding techniques.

The steel shapes could be prefabricated, allowing certain risks to be reduced and controlled more easily. Using steel also made the structure much lighter. Concrete, the material originally envisaged, was used for part of the building. On the roof, for example, 1,400 concrete panels give the building an unusual appearance. Microbeton® developed a special, deformable mould system to allow the light, but double-curved, roof panels to be manufactured quickly and efficiently. This led to the project being honoured with the 2015 Dutch Concrete Award and the 2016 European Concrete Award.

Both Arnhem Centraal railway station and the trolleybus station remained open for use by passengers throughout the two-year construction period. We are used to tailoring our logistics plans to take the needs of many different users into account. By making use of temporary facilities and a phased construction process, as well as adapting passenger and visitor foot traffic flows, and modifying routes for construction traffic, we were able to keep the inconvenience to a minimum. Building without disruption is impossible, but we always informed affected parties in advance about potential inconveniences and the measures we were taking to minimise it. We remained in contact with stakeholders at all times to ensure their interests were taken into account.