The Pavilion

It has a gross floor area of roughly 3,600 m² and will be realised above platforms 1, 2 and 3 of Utrecht’s station area. A variety of retail and hospitality concepts will be moving into the pavilion in the near future. The ambition is to earn a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ design certificate for the building.

The project will be realised within an entirely new environment in Utrecht’s station area: Stationsplein-Oost. This site is where the station hall formerly converged with the adjacent shopping mall ‘Hoog Catharijne’. In the period ahead, it will be transformed into a brand new square, located several metres above grade level. Under the new square, the world’s largest bicycle storage facility will be realised, as well as various connecting routes to the other public transport options at Central Station (trams and buses).

The design was determined in part by the unique complexity of the construction site itself. For example, the building’s entire load-bearing structure will be only supported by the pillars of the platforms below, and one of the facades will be realised within reaching distance of the station hall’s overhead lines.

Taking this into account, the design opts for a prefab glass façade, which will be realised on site during the scheduled train-free periods. This means that train connections routed via the Netherlands’ busiest railway station will not be interrupted by the Pavilion’s construction.

The project will be realised in an environment marked by tremendous dynamism, flows (around 88 million visitors per year) and an abundance of expressive architectural forms.
Within these hectic surroundings, the building’s design distinguishes itself through its clarity and purist approach to design.

Architect Erik Moederscheim: "Buildings realised at sites as complex as this tend to have a certain concealed element in their presence. On first impression, the building does not convey the full story of its realisation – both next to and above the track. In addition to this concealed complexity, the direct surroundings of the Pavilion are already full of buildings and statements that clamour for attention. Within this attractive, colourful ensemble, we actually believe that the tranquillity and clarity of our design can be a commercially attractive concept – similar to the Apple Store in New York City."
 
Work on the Pavilion’s construction starts in 2016. Final acceptance is scheduled for mid-2017.