Assen Station Building, Dutch Wooden Roof Design, municipality, ProRail, NS, Architect, Photos
Assen Station Building News
6 July 2020
Assen Station: Gateway to the City
Design: Powerhouse Company + De Zwarte Hond
Assen Station has been completely transformed thanks to an extraordinary wooden structure. The new station is defined by a triangular wooden roof that appears to float above the several buildings below.
Aerial photo by Egbert de Boer:

Photos below by Sebastian van Damme
It connects the railway line and the city with a single urban gesture. The construction of a new car tunnel under the station square has allowed a traffic-calmed public space to be created around the station. The station was designed by Powerhouse Company and De Zwarte Hond on behalf of NS, ProRail and Assen municipality.
A new identity
Assen Station was originally a transit station where the city remained invisible to travelers. The municipality of Assen therefore asked for a transparent and inviting station on the regional level, which would at the same time remove the barrier of the tracks on the neighborhood level.

Powerhouse Company and De Zwarte Hond designed the new station as an all-sided building ? connective, transparent and sustainable ? that is equally inviting from every angle. The impressive triangular geometry of the roof gives the building a strong identity, organizes the program and also makes a connection with the urban context.

?The shape of the canopy was created by placing...