udo heinrich architekten
Public transport station Ostermiething
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Place
Ostermiething / Austria
Photos
Udo Heinrich
Description
The new station is divided into three usage zones: a platform for local trains, a service zone in the middle and a bus stop area. The service zone acts as a large filter between the platform and the bus stop. The waiting area, sanitary facilities, a small bakery, the staff room and the technical room are each housed in independent cubes. They stand at a distance from each other so commuters can pass between them. At the same time, they form the load-bearing structure and look from a distance like small – traditional – houses. A «summer waiting room» was included as a small bonus: an open, sun-drenched area with a large plane tree and a curved wooden bench.
The centre of the station – from the glazed waiting room to the summer waiting area to the small bakery/café – is designed without columns. The roof is of the utmost simplicity: a massive (yet very thin) slab that spans the entire area between the platform and bus stop. It rests on the service zone cubes and is perforated in the middle to let light and air into the area below. The base of the whole structure is a concrete slab with a blasted surface. The service cubes «grow» out of this pedestal. They are also made of concrete but each cube is treated differently, with surfaces ranging from polished to blasted to bush-hammered or scabbled. Despite the same material throughout, these different finishes result in a variety of lively textures.