The world?s biggest bicycle parking is the centerpiece of an urban redevelopment that reconnects the enlarged railway station to the historic city center of Utrecht. Underneath an iconic canopy, an elevated and revitalized public space welcomes visitors. By rigidly reorganizing logistics and banning most car accesses on the ground level, a spacious green pedestrian boulevard could be created -lined by new mixed-use buildings- that allows for direct routes toward the city?s cathedral and its? cultural center. In the middle of the boulevard, underneath the elevated square, a three-story bike park for over 12,500 bicycles announces a future of sustainable mobility.
Photography: Petra Appelhof
The bike-through possibility may be the world?s first ?the concept is about speed and safety. The layout allows separating pedestrians and cyclists intuitively while approaching the station?s entrance. A digital system guides cyclists rapidly to free places. The parking can be used with a public transport chip card, convenient and quick. Stairwells and tunnels create direct connections to the elevated square, main terminal building and platforms. Ensuring good orientation and plenty of daylight, the stairwells are surrounded by glassed atria. Durable materials such as concrete, steel, and wood are used and the parking already won the ?Betonprijs 2017?, a prestigious price granted by the concrete – association. Situation Plan
Three concrete columns supporting the giant canopy extend ...