Tilburg railway station

The Tilburg public transport hub was reshaped with a number of projects by cepezed. One was the renovation and modernisation of the spectacular 1965 station building. By drastically 'cleaning up' the spaces and platforms, Koen van der Gaast's characteristic architecture, with its angular roof, again comes into its own beautifully. New elements are the extra platform, the north façade with entrance, and the public passage under the tracks. cepezed also designed Tilburg's new bus station and two bicycle parking facilities

client(s)
gemeente tilburg

location
tilburg

user(s)
publiek

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national monument

The station building was designed by railway architect Koen van der Gaast between 1957 and 1965. That he conceived the station as a transit space rather than a destination was typologically innovative at the time. The expressive roof construction connects the station functions with each other and the station with the city in a grand gesture. Van der Gaast added no ornaments, but played with the graphic pattern of the construction and the aesthetic possibilities of the H-profile. The dynamic character of the canopy defines the atmosphere and contrasts with the rectangular buildings below.

The changes carried out in and around the station over time did the original architecture no favours. For instance, natural brickwork was painted yellow and sightlines and views into the station were interrupted. In general, platforms and interior spaces have become cluttered. Just by cepezed addressing this, the building brightens up. After the renovation, it was again clearly visible why Tilburg station was granted national monument status in 2014.

southern entrance

The southern entrance was the only entrance until recently. In the original situation, Van der Gaast had created full glass facades for the shops in which hardly any window frames were visible. Individual advertisements were virtually absent and an abstract, sans serif box letter was used for the function designations. His use of colour is nuanced and shapes - except for the roof - are reserved. cepezed also opts for glass facades and balustrades, with the smallest possible attachment. The subway giving access to the platforms is clearly recognisable by a façade element with vertical slats. Spaces were given different functions, but the distribution of spaces is again more like the original situation. The rounded wall with irregular block pattern was given back its original light colour.

station hall

The significance of the station hall had crumbled over time. This was restored by cepezed, although it now functions as a meeting place and waiting area, with snack and lunch kiosks in the original ticket office wall. The existing floor, with a playful pattern of narrow dark strips on a white background, was retained and repaired where necessary. The ceiling was replaced with an acoustic, white-metal ceiling with micro-perforation. The new lighting is pleasant, soft and shines indirectly from the ceiling edges. As in the original situation, there are four chandeliers. To improve the accessibility of the station hall from the bus station, the western entrance was enlarged and made more visible.

public passage

The most radical change, during the renovation of the station, is the arrival of a public passage under the tracks: the station now also functions as a public connection, a function that fits well with Van der Gaast's original idea of the station as a thoroughfare. The passage also connects two previously relatively separate parts of the city - on the north side of the station was a closed factory site. On the city centre side, the passage gives access to the station hall with several steps. On the passage are various other functions, such as shops and a bicycle repair shop, in addition to ticket gates and access to the tracks. The dimensions of the façades on the passage are geared to Van der Gaast's 2,100-millimetre grid, as is the austere design - Van der Gaast designed all-glass façades in which hardly any window frames were visible. cepezed also took care to ensure long sightlines, so that you know where you are and feel safe. That the passage rises gradually at both ends, optically shortening the passage as well.

north side entrance

The design of the new entrance on the north side echoes the existing entrance on the south side. Here, too, there is a façade element with vertical slats. This element gets more body as the slats overflow into the balustrade of the extra platform that has been constructed here. At the bottom is a quirky new detail: a slatted awning. Straight shapes and lots of glass dominate, so that the image-defining station roof visually remains the main protagonist. The full-glass façade wall on the north side is also based on Van der Gaast's 2100-millimetre grid.

existing platforms

The platforms perhaps show best what 'cleaning up' can do. cepezed returned to the original situation with contemporary furniture - the equipment that studio Blom & Moors designed for Prorail. Simply designed platform furniture stands directly on the floor and is not connected to walls or the supports of the canopy. There is a glass balustrade around the voids near the (rolling) stairs. In this way, the canopy, the building and the platforms are again clearly recognisable as separate elements.

perron 4

Platform 4 is an extra platform, which therefore needed its own canopy - Van der Gaast's large canopy did not reach that far. To do justice to the expressive shape of the monumental roof, cepezed opted for austere, straight forms for platform 4. Minimising obstacles on the platform provides maximum space for the traveller. All installations have been neatly concealed in the ceiling of a small platform roof, which is easily accessible for service and cleaning. A track of glass in the roof provides additional daylight. The platforms are screened by the lath structure of the north facade, by the outside of the bicycle shed and by a balustrade with a 'wire structure’.