MUNICIPAL OFFICES AND TRAIN STATION, DELFT
Westvest by night
Filmpjes:
SECTION
FLY AROUND
WALK THROUGH
Interweaving of future and past
In the city centre of Delft runs a railway viaduct that divides the city in two. The planned construction of a railway tunnel will remove this barrier. In its stead will be an expansion of the inner city including a park and a promenade. A station foyer in combination with offices for a thousand municipal employees will be built on top of an underground railway station. The inner city of Delft reflects its past. The campus of the Delft University of Technology on the edge of the inner city holds the promise of future development. The starting point for Mecanoo’s design is an interweaving of this history and the future. This resulted in a building where all of its sides are designed. The building features a more urban front to the Westvest and a smaller scaled fronting to the Westerkwartier, setting back the building footprint by six metres. At the corners, the building volumes are lowered to carefully transition with existing buildings.
Delft Blue
Travellers arriving at the station will experience Delft as a city not only with a rich history but also one of technological ingenuity. A vaulted ceiling on which a scene is depicted in Delft Blue crowns the impressive space. The ceiling of the station foyer continues above the city hall. The city hall and the station foyer are separated from each other by a glass wall and a nucleus from which the stairs and elevators lead to the offices above. The vaulted ceiling remains in sight from anywhere within the building. The positioning of the amenities affords travellers a city view from the station foyer.
Digital news ticker
The glass skin of the city hall reflects the Dutch skies of Vermeer and also makes the building transparent: the democracy is open and accessible. Designed for maximum energy efficiency, the building uses 35% less energy than government standards. Incisions in the glass volume form a pattern of alleyways inspired by the intricate structure of streets in Old Delft. The horizontal division of the building - with a plinth of clear glass and raised office landscape of the municipal offices - provides a clear distinction between public and private. On the first floor lay multifunctional spaces, a restaurant, conference rooms and rooms for the Mayor and the Alderman. Voids and spy holes offer spectacular views of the impressive city hall and the station foyer. On the facade, a digital news ticker marks the flowing lines of the building interior and illuminates the plinth at night. On this news ticker, actual information can be read about public transportation, activities and news about the city of Delft.
