荷兰集装箱巴士站barneveld noord station / NL architects

photo by marcel van der burg

all photos courtesy of NL architects

built using shipping containers, NL architects have developed a temporary structure at ‘barneveld noord bus station’ in the netherlands, designed to improve the waiting experience. working alongside koen van velsen (the national supervisor for railway architecture), prorail (the organization responsible for the dutch railway network), they have initiated a campaign entitled ‘prettig wachten’, (‘pleasant waiting’), a scheme which attempts to make the time spent more comfortable and less stressful for travelers.

▼等候区上空打造双层通高空间 © marcel van der burg

studies show that waiting time is experienced as three times longer than it actually is; NL architects have embraced this idea with the ‘prettig wachten’ initiative. at barneveld noord an on site bike repair shop, run by people who are differently able, will introduce a human presence to a previously unmanned post. this has created a kind of informal supervision and has helped contribute towards the general maintenance of the site.

▼等候区上空打造双层通高空间，

a large container is placed vertically resulting in a twelve meter tall tower photo © bart van hoek

the temporary project is an arrangement of shipping containers, resulting in an ambiguous, yet powerful, façade. three horizontal volumes are suspended, together forming a roof. one container houses programs specific to the site, another is used for storage, while the third is open at the bottom forming a double height space for the transparent enclosed waiting area. the fourth larger one is placed vertically. the resulting tower stands twelve meters tall complete with a clock and a weathervane, which alludes to the local area’s heritage. a gilded chicken replaces the typical rooster, referencing barneveld’s reputation as the ‘egg capital’ of the netherlands.

the ‘prettig wachten’ framework will be implemented in twenty stations throughout the netherlands.

▼等候区上空打造双层通高空间，

one container houses programs specific to the site while another is used for storagephoto © bart van hoek