mecanoo completes delft's city hall and railway station complex

nine years after mecanoo began working on the project, 80% of delft’s new railway station opened in 2015. since then, the remainder of the development has been under construction, with 2017 seeing the realization of the entire complex. the station, in combination with municipal offices and the new city hall, is positioned above a new train tunnel built in place of a concrete viaduct that had divided delft since 1965. the train station is now directly linked with the city hall.

inside the terminal, mecanoo has designed an undulating vaulted ceiling that comprises a series of aluminum fins displaying a large abstracted 1877 map of the region, measuring 110 x 70 meters. within the station hall walls and columns are adorned with a contemporary reinterpretation of delft’s famed blue tiles. the halls are separated with a glass wall and two further volumes that house the public counters, consultation rooms and technical services of the municipal offices, and the commercial functions of the station hall.

externally, the building’s skin boasts panels of fused glass, designed to reflect the dutch skies above, while the lens-like motif incorporated within the façades references the city’s traditional window design. the volume of the building is shaped to create a compact and efficient envelope, with a lowered roofline providing a gradual transition towards the city’s continual development.

project info:

program: city hall (19,430 sqm) around internal patios, a bicycle shed, an archive, a loading and unloading area and a public lobby of 2,230 sqm; the public lobby is visually and physically linked to the station hall of 2,450 sqm with retail facilities and food and beverage of 850 sqm; total 28,320 sqm

design: 2006-2010

realization: 2012-2017 (station hall and first phase of the city hall were completed in 2015)

client: ontwikkelingsbedrijf spoorzone delft BV, delft, the netherlands

structural engineer: ABT BV, delft, the netherlands

mechanical engineer: deerns raadgevende ingenieurs BV, rijswijk, the netherlands

building cost consultant: basalt bouwadvies BV, nieuwegein, the netherlands

building physics and fire safety consultant: LBPsight, nieuwegein, the netherlands

consultant graphics ceiling: geerdes ontwerpen, huizen, the netherlands