The Development of the Roof in the Stations of Koenraad Van Der Gaast_Lubo_Dragomirov_1274902

8/2/2019 The Development of the Roof in the Stations of Koenraad Van Der Gaast_Lubo_Dragomirov_1274902

1/25

The development of the roof in the stations of Koenraad van der Gaast

History Thesis AR2A010Lyubomir Dragomirov 1274902

Course Coordinator: Charlotte van Wijk

10.10.2011


2/25

2 | P a g e

Preface

In the 1950s the railway traffic was facing difficult times. The travelers were choosing more and more

for the private car than for the public transport. The station as a building most directly connected to

the railways was suffering as well. Its purpose had changed from a place for waiting to a place where

you just pass through on your way to the trains. For that reason a lot of the old buildings were notequipped to handle the new requirements. It was a very important time for the NS and they needed

somebody to fulfill their high ambitions. The person that was chosen was Koenraad van der Gaast

and he did not disappoint. He developed some new concept which changed the whole complexion of

the station. Through his body of work there is a trend to be seen which is the importance that he

placed on the roof. He used it in different shapes and forms and managed to achieve great

architectural quality together with good organization of the program inside but also to establish a

link with the other types of transports on the outside.

All those topics will be discussed in this paper which has a goal to give an insight in the

transformations through which the roof passed in the different designs of Van der Gaast. The most

emphasize will be put on the following topics: on the one hand the architectural expressiveness of

the roof as well as the organizational qualities that it offers. Further a theme here will be if and howit was used to lead people to and around the station and how it helped to unite the train traffic with

the other means of transportation.


3/25

3 | P a g e

Contents

1. Introduction 4

Background and education

Station designs before Koenraad van der Gaast

The changing function of the railway station2. The role of the roof in five stations by Koenraad van der Gaast 7

Amsterdam-Sloterdijk

Almelo

Schiedam Centrum

Tilburg

Amsterdam-Schiphol

3. Conclusions 22

4. Sources 25


4/25

4 | P a g e

Introduction

The life and background of an architect have an important impact on the formation of his ideas and

his style. By looking at his family roots, his education and the conditions he started work in, a better

understanding will be given about what the major influences were on Koenraad van der Gaasts later

career.

Background and education

Koenraad van der Gaast was born on 10 August 1923 in Utrecht as the only son of Wibbigje de Vries

and Gosse van der Gaast. His parents came from quite different backgrounds as his grandfather on

his mothers side was a co-founder of the local Social Democratic Working Party (Sociaal

Democratische Arbeiders Partij) whereas van der Gaasts father was born and raised in a farm in

Friesland. After graduating from the technical school in Sneek (the MTS) and earning several practical

diplomas he did a study in architecture in Utrecht. After that he worked as an architectural

supervisor for a number of offices in Drenthe, Groningen and Germany and then he was employed by

the municipality of Enschede. The head city architect of Enschede at that time applied for a similarfunction in Utrecht and when his application was accepted he took with him his right hand and

favorite colleague Gosse van der Gaast. This way he became a deputy head architect for the

municipality of Utrecht. While holding that position he worked on varying commissions such as city

bridges and public buildings some of which around the Wilheminapark and the Julianapark. Apart

from this function he was fulfilling a second one as a clerk for the Beauty Commission. Moreover he

was busy with his own designs for furniture as well as taking part in competitions. He even won a

second prize for his entry for the competition for the city hall in Oslo. During that time he also kept in

contact with prominent architects such as H.P. Berlage (1856-1934), G. Rietveld (1889-1983). All this

set helped his son in taking the decision to study architecture and created a very particular backdrop

for the development of his career.

Koenraad van der Gaast went to primary school in the public HBS school in Utrecht from 1935 to1940 and received from there a B-diploma. Afterwards he had to choose a direction for his higher

education and for him there was no other choice than architecture as he could not imagine doing

anything else. His enthusiasm and decision to go to study at the Technical College of Delft were

stimulated by his parents as both of them thought that this would be the best place for him to

develop his skills. That is how in 1940 he started his study in architecture at the quite renowned

Technical College of Delft.

At that time the faculty of architecture was lead by M.J. Granpr Molire (1883-1972) who was

teaching there since 1924. For him the essence of the architectural discourse was hidden in the

traditional building style and he transmitted his ideas through his lectures and his writings and in that

way played a big part in the formation of a lot of the students. All that led to the forming of a

movement called Delft School. Granpr Molire considered the modern movements, current at thattime, as bleak and one dimensional and vigorously propagated against them. For that reason

Functionalism did not gather any popularity in the faculty of architecture in Delft.

Because of the war Van der Gaast had to interrupt his studies between 1943 and 1945. All the

universities and technical colleges were closed during that time however he kept in contact with

some of his fellow students. After the war in December 1945 that same group of students found a

student group which was named Semper Spatium (forever space). This name gave a significant

meaning to the group as it suggested that its members will be the ones who would explore the

possible new directions in Architecture (Gout & Sterenberg, 1993, pp. 8-12).

The core of the group was made out of Van der Gaast and six other people: Henk Brouwer as

chairmen, Wim Wissing as vice chairman, Rudi Bleeker, Rinus Gout, Goof Spruit and Jan Sterenberg

as members. Their main goal was not to go against the ideas of the Delft school but to give theopportunity for a broader approach to architecture. What they really wanted to do was not to


5/25

5 | P a g e

generate a radical break but a mild form of change within the architectural society. What is more,

during the first meeting they offered Granpr Molire to be named as an honorary chairman. There

were even some professors from the college who were interested in joining the group, amongst

whom were H. Rosse and H.T. Zwiers. Van der Gaast and his colleagues wanted to influence the

education given at the faculty of architecture and they went as far as even sounding out some

architects about them taking up high positions at the faculty. In 1947 and 1948 J. H. van den Broek(1898-1978) and G. H. M. Holt (1904-1988) were hired as professors at the Technical College of Delft,

both of them renowned functionalistic architects. It is not clear to what extent Semper Spatium had

influenced those appointments but the important thing is that this was the breakthrough in the

education that the group wanted. After that there was not so much significant activity by the group

and in 1952 it was broken up.

At the end of his study, in 1948, Koenraad van der Gaast went for an internship at the bureau of Hans

W. Moester in Zurich, Switzerland. His general feeling about the internship was on the one hand of

disappointment with the opportunities he was given but on the other he was happy with the

experience he managed to acquire. After his training in Switzerland he came back to Delft to

graduate. Although he had a certain appreciation for the traditional design style of Granpr Molire

he chose to do his final project with Van den Broek and in 1949 he graduated as an architectureengineer. His membership in the Semper Spatium group and the choice for Van den Broek can be

considered as indicative for the interests of the young architect. It can easily be concluded that the

ideas of the Functionalism fitted very well with Van der Gaasts Liberal Christian background whereas

the views of Granpr Molire about the hierarchical order of the society did not appeal to him at all.

Station designs before Koenraad van der Gaast

After his graduation Van der Gaast worked for a few months at the architectural bureau of Koster in

Zeist. There they received from time to time commissions the NS so they were up to date with what

was going on in the companys headquarters. Both of the head architects of the company, H. G. J.

Schelling (1888-1978) and S. van Ravesteyn, were close to their retirement age so pretty soon a

replacement would have had to be found. At that time the NS had a lot of new projects planned toreplace the stations damaged during the war and the old buildings that were not usable any more.

For that purpose they needed new personnel and when in 1950 an architecture engineer was needed

Koster encouraged Van der Gaast to apply for the job and he was hired.

In those days there were two design departments by the NS, one responsible for projects in the

north of the Netherlands and the other for those in the south. This divide was due to the fact that

the NS only came to being in the 1937 from the fusion of the two remaining railway companies in the

country de MES and the HIJSM. Both of the leading architects, Van Ravesteyn in the south and

Schelling in the north, left their personal marks on the stations that they designed before and after

the Second World War.

Van Ravesteyn graduated as a civil engineer from the Techincal College of Delft and began working

for MES in 1912. At the beginning he exhibited functionalistic views that fitted perfectly with the

renewals in the area of architecture at that time. He was attracted by the ideas of the Bauhaus and

used a lot of modern materials such as steel, glass and concrete. During this period he designed quite

functionalistic sign houses, service buildings and some stations. However, after 1936, he developed a

neo-baroque style which was inspired by a few trips to Italy. After that moment he started placing a

lot of emphasis not only on functionalism but also on esthetics. His design features which included

wavy lines, graceful round forms as well as ornamentation were to be seen in his projects for the

theater Kunstmin in Dordrecht (1938) and the Zoo Blijdorp in Rotterdam (1941). Another good

example of his style is the Utrecht central station (1939) where baroque forms were mixed with

modern detailing and current materials were used. After the war he continued to design in the same

baroque style and by doing so he responded to a feeling of nostalgia and longing towards the lush

stations from the past some of which were destroyed during the bombardments. His most famous

station designs after the war are the ones for s-Hertogenbosch (1952), Nijmegen (1954) and

Rotterdam (1957).


6/25

6 | P a g e

Schelling studied architecture at the Technical College in Delft and was hired by the HIJSM in 1913.

His designs before the war were inspired by the brick buildings of the Amsterdam School. Specific for

his early works were the orthogonal, rigid, succinct form made out of brick. His first big project was

the station in Sittard (1923) which was followed by the station Naarden-Bussum(1925) (Douma,

1998, p. 347). After that he designed two stations in Amsterdam Amsterdam Muiderpoort (1939)

and Amsterdam Amstel (1939). Both stations have high reception halls filled with light comingthrough the abundant use of glass in the walls and the facades. Especially the Amstel station can be

considered a high point in the design of railway stations. Schelling tried in this project to integrate

the private means of transport together with public ones by giving ample space for the parking of

cars as well as of line busses. The stations that he built after the war such as Zutphen (1952) and

Anrhem (1954) are evidence of a much more austere style. His architecture became characterized by

the usage of prefabricated concrete elements and glass facades. In the times of scarcity concrete

elements were much cheaper when produced in big numbers. These postwar stations all have the

same module dimensions and in none of them did the concrete receive a finish. The glass walls go

from the top all the way to the bottom with the idea of connecting the interior with the exterior. Also

for the same reasons he introduced projecting canopies supported by pillars (Douma, 1998, pp. 14-

22).

The changing function of the railway station

Before Van der Gaast took his position as the head architect of the NS, stations were primarily a

place for waiting. Because of the fact that there were not that many trains and very few of them

were connecting more than two cities the waiting times could be long. In such conditions spaces such

as the buffet and the waiting room were the most important ones. The big cities received expensive

monumental stations, such as the central station of Amsterdam, which had as a goal to offer to the

travelers a comfortable waiting place. These buildings did not have a clear characteristic form and

resembled more a museum, post office or a hotel. Also Van Ravesteyn and Schelling considered the

station as a predominantly waiting place.

When Van der Gaast started working for the NS, the stations became a part of a new marketingvision of the company which was a result of the change of its position in the transportation business.

In the 1950s the firm was quickly losing ground to the growing usage of the car. The increasing

number of travelers amongst which, a lot of commuters, could be attracted back to the railways by

an intensification of the train services. For that reason the waiting times were reduced and so the

function of the station changed. It turned from a waiting place to a passing through place. For that

reason its building had to be orientated towards a fast and efficient transfer from one train to the

next and from the one mode of transportation to the other the station had to become a transport

hub.

As a young architect Van der Gaast was the right person to lead this new development and to give it

form. This is proven by his words in an article he wrote in 1964 called Ponderings of a station

architect. In it he shares: To be able to accomplish the new goals of the NS it is essential that the

railway stations and the trains are up to date and that they do not give an old-fashioned and static

impression but create the idea that they are a fast and modern alternative of the car. The private car

is becoming more and more the vehicle of choice but the public transport should try to keep in touch

with it. What Van der Gaast was trying to achieve was not an easy task especially when one

considers that every year as he put it, new car models were appearing on the market. He then

continues: To renew the trains and the railway buildings with such a rate is of course impossible. For

that reason the image of the public transport will always be a bit outdated when compared to the

private car. The architect should try to be in front of his time so that eventually in the long run the

lost ground is as small as possible. He should avoid forms that are in fashion but which get old really

fast. As a result of the change of the function of the station it can actually be a very simple building: a

rigid and functional form with little decoration made out of practical, modern materials. The ticket

sales counter together with the luggage deposit and a few kiosks for coffee and papers are the most

essential parts. Certain flexibility is also desired so that possible changes can be carried out without


7/25

7 | P a g e

big structural alterations. That is why the architecture is brick cannot come into consideration. The

building could be made out of a structural steel or concrete skeleton and further of filling elements

from materials such as natural stone, rust-free steel, hardwood, glass walls etc. These materials do

not get dirty quickly and even when they do they are easy to clean which would only enhance the

image of the company. Moreover, the slick and glazed surfaces of those materials resemble the

materials used for other modern means of transport.The modern station should epitomize the new architectural, sociological and planning vision of

travelling by train(Van den Hurk-van Haagen, 2004, pp. 9-10).

The role of the roof in five stations by Koenraad van der Gaast

In the works of Koenraad Van der Gaast the roof has a very significant role and it has become a

characteristic feature of his architecture. The architect through his career has developed a number of

different concepts about it and they are going to be illustrated by discussing five of his major station

designs.

Amsterdam-Sloterdijk

Already before the start of World War II big city extensions were outlined in the so called General

Extension Plan (Algemeen Uitbredigins Plan) for Amsterdam West. After the war these proposals

were made concrete by H. C. van Eesteren (1897-1988) who worked for the Service for Public Works

(Dienst Publieke Wereken). In those plans it was made clear that the western parts of the city will be

expanded and due to the working opportunities in other locations in Amsterdam and other towns in

the area there will be a big amount of commuter traffic. Because of that a new station had to be

design to fulfill the need for train transportation. Interesting fact is that Amsterdam-Sloterdijk was

the first newly built station after the war (1956) as the emphasis was still on replacing and fixing the

old ones damaged or destroyed during the bombings (Van den Hurk-van Haagen, 2004, p. 20). Also itwas the first commuter station which also served summer traffic to Zandvoort. The commuters using

the building can be described as people who go to work before nine oclock in the morning and come

back home after four in the afternoon and they have either a week or a month card. That means that

the station has very specific clientele with their specific needs for fast transfer from car or public

transport to the train.

The exact position of the building was discussed among the NS and the municipality of Amsterdam

and it was decided for Sloterdijk for three reasons. Firstly Sloterdijk was laying in the middle between

the old and the new Amsterdam West so it was a convenient spot for the whole area. Secondly two

very important traffic lines were meeting at the point of the station theAdmiraal de Ruyterweg andthe Haarlemmerweg. Thirdly here was one of the few locations where there was sufficient space for

the construction of a big front square which would function as the end point for various buslines(Van der Gaast, 1957, p. 233). A very important issue of the whole urban development plan of

which the Amsterdam-Sloterdijk station was part is that the railways would be moved to the north

which meant that for the municipality the station had a temporary status.


8/25

8 | P a g e

Fig. 1 Situation and plan of Amsterdam-Schiphol station (Van der Gaast, 1957, p. 234)

Roof construction

The design for the Amsterdam-Schiphol is vastly influenced by the characteristics of its users. As

mentioned in the previous paragraph the station was supposed to be used mainly by commuters

going to and back from work, who most of the times do not need to buy a ticket. This meant thatthey were just going to pass through the building on their way to the platforms. Having that in mind

Van der Gaast developed a design where there were no facades to hinder the passage of the traveler.

In fact the building consists only of its roof (fig2).

The form of the roof is rectangular with one side ten meters and the other sixteen. The distance to its

edge is nine meters and its own height is three meters. This also follows from the concept of the

architect for the building; he wanted to make it visible from far and to make it a landmark in the

messy factory-filled area where it was positioned(Lansink, 1998, p. 49). To emphasize the same thing

even more the architect chose for rigid lines and surfaces(Van der Gaast, 1956, p. 1036).

The construction of the station consists of steel columns and wooden beams resting on prefabricated

concrete foundations. The inside of the roof is covered with undulating eternit plates and the outside

with two layers of dakvilt with copper cornice(Van der Gaast, 1956, p. 1037).. The material choicesmade by Van der Gaast had a big advantage as far as time is concerned as the different parts were

already produced in the factory and at the building site they only had to be assembled. This step was

important as it saved a lot of time and that was needed since there was a huge delay due to

problems with the expropriation and the later with the very severe winter (Van der Gaast, 1957, p.

234).

As Cees Douma comments in his book about Dutch railway stations the Sloterdijk building did not

attract the attention by dazzling architecture as it was too simple for that but it did it by literally

creating a break through in station architecture in the Netherland. Douma continues further the

discussion about the building by comparing it to an umbrella which is raised on steel legs to protect

the visitor (Douma, 1998, p. 30). That is very good comparison as it immediately brings to mind the

image of a commuter running to catch the train protecting himself from the rain with an umbrella.Another association can be made with a tent that is hovering over the servicing buildings. Both


9/25

9 | P a g e

impressions speak of the provisionality of the station and its total striving towards functionality and

convenience.

As far as the plan of the station is concerned the shape of the roof does not play a direct role in its

organization. In fact some of the spaces that belong to the station such as the offices and the luggage

storage area are not even under it. Here the roof works much more as a sign which marks the hall of

the station and it brings together all the small buildings with their different functions that arescattered around it. With its semi open space character it works as a meeting point for the outside

square where the busses stop, the bike garage which starts again from the square and finishes below

the roof, the ticket selling counter and of course the train platforms (fig1). This gives it the perfect

opportunity to show the traveler the way on the one hand from the outside area to the station and

then from there to the train. As Schelling comments there is a new element in the station

architecture introduced with this building the space, the openness and the free view were the

important thing here and not the counters(Schelling, 1959, p. 10).

The roof not only marks the building but it brings the public bus transport, the private bike transport

and the railway transport together. The materials used here are helping in that aspect as well. The

steel, glass and copper fit very well in the line of materials used to produce cars and other means of

transport. So by using them Van der Gaast establishes a subconscious link between them and thetrain. Also those materials work in another direction they represent the notion of functionality.

As a conclusion it can be said that the Amsterdam-Sloterdijk station is introducing a new concept in

the train station architecture. Cees Douma calls it the umbrella concept where the roof is used to

mark the building but it only covers the different functions underneath it and has no physical

connection with them(Douma, 1998, p. 65).

Fig. 2 Photo of Amsterdam-Sloterdijks roof(Bramer, -)


10/25

10 | P a g e

Almelo

Almelo was by the time of the construction of the new station a very important railway junction. It

got connected with the four quarters of the compass (Hengelo 1865, Zwolle 1881, Deventer 1888 en

Marinberg 1906) around the time of the laying of the train tracks in the Netherlands so the city had

already a few stations before this one was built. The first one was erected in 1865 and had to be

replaced in 1883 with the second station and the new station built in 1962 become the third one(Vander Gaast, 1964c, p. 354b).

The reasons for the need of a new building were diverse. On the one hand the NS did not consider

the old station as representative enough and wanted to modernize its image as it was historically an

important location for them. On the other hand the city hall of Almelo wanted to create a bus stop

next to the building. At first the possibility of renovating and replacing parts of the old construction

was considered. Nevertheless, it soon became apparent that this was not an option as there was not

enough space for the bus stop. So the station had to be moved to the side and a new front square to

be created(Van der Gaast, 1961, p. 339).That brought forth, however, another problem for the

architect as this way the building would have disappeared from the axis of the Egbert Gorterstraat

road(Van den Hurk-van Haagen, 2004, p. 83). Another reason for erecting a new station was that the

existing overhead bridge was creating a lot of difficulties for the travelers. Firstly there was a bigheight difference that had to be overcome which was much bigger then if a tunnel were used.

Secondly it was very narrow to be able to accommodate all the people going through it at rush hours

and thirdly the entry and exit were only on one side so the traveler-flows were getting mixed. That is

why Van der Gaast chose for one tunnel to serve the users of the stations and another one which

would be accessible from outside the station and it would connect the new front square with the

other side of the train tracks (Van der Gaast, 1961, p. 339).

Roof construction

Van der Gaast was faced with two main challenges when he started the design of the building. On

the one hand he had to design a highly representative building which would enhance the image of

the NS and would present the railway as a modern way of transportation. On the other hand theprogram for the building was quite small and he had to find a way to organize it in such a manner so

that it could be wrapped in a dazzling modern envelope which would also correspond to the size of

the new front square. He did that as in other of his projects by giving a great significance to the roof.

Other concepts which influenced the way he treated the roof was the desire to create out of it a focal

point for almost all the types of transports that were available in the city(Douma, 1998, p. 94).

Moreover he wanted it to reestablish the connection between the building and the axis of the Egbert

Gorterstraat road(Van der Gaast, 1964d, p. 1059).

The roof he designed consisted of two parts one was covering the main hall and its servicing

functions and also a part of the front square and the other one leads to the public tunnel which goes

to the other side of the train tracks. The main hall roof consists of eleven rectangular elongated

pieces of twenty-three meters by three meters seventy, elevated at a height of six and a half meters.

Each piece is removed from the next at a distance of one meter eighty allowing in this way a lot of

light inside the main hall of the station. The pieces are resting on one side on a beam supported by

two big V-shaped columns and on the other side directly on thin V-shaped columns which for their

part stand on top of the roof leading to the tunnel. This secondary roof is a thin band which starts

from the front square and goes underneath the main roof towards the tunnel. It continues through

the main building and comes out on the other side housing functions such as a transformer cell, a fire

brigade, post office service and others. Its height and width are respectively three meters eighty and

nine and a half meters and it rests on one side on big V-shaped columns connected by beams and on

the other on I-profile columns. The main structure of the roof is made out of steel so that its


11/25

11 | P a g e

dimensions could be controlled and the desired visual effects could be achieved(fig3).

Fig. 3 Almelo station with its characteristic roof over the main hall and over the bus stop and ramp toward the underground

bike parking (left)(Bramer, -)

The final result of the design made by Van der Gaast shows a lot of qualities and creates a very

modern image of the railway mode of transportation. At first glance the building evokes the

association with a xylophone and gives the sense of a carefully composed rhythm to the visitor. By

dividing the roof into pieces the architect manages to give a transparent, airy and light character to

the building(Douma, 1998, p. 94). Further he succeeds again through the usage of the roof to create

the impression that the building has a much bigger volume then it actually has. He does that by

stretching the roof outside the blueprint of the floor plan and covering with it a part of the front

square. This is a very crucial measure taken by Van der Gaast which influences in many ways the

building. On the one hand it gives the desired by the NS grandeur to the station. On the other

through the same measure the building is again reconnected with the Egbert Gorterstraat road. As

mentioned in the previous paragraph the link between the station and the road leading to it was very

important to Van der Gaast. He repairs it by aligning the roof of the main hall to it and by using the

lower part of the building which leads to the tunnel as a visual end to that street. Further the

outstretching roof functions as an invitation and orientation to the visitor by clearly marking the

entrance. Also it can be said that the roof brings all the functions in and around the station together.

Cees Douma refers to this concept applied by the architect as the everything-under-one-roof-

idealof Van der Gaast (Douma, 1998, p. 98).

What the architect also tried to achieve was to turn the station into a hub for all the types of

transport that there are in Almelo. Again the roof plays a significant role here. If you travel by bus,

taxi, your own personal car or by bike you inevitably end up under the extended roof in front of the

main entrance (fig4). The cars and taxis stop there as the road to the station finishes in that spot. The

same goes for the bus as well but the connection is even stronger as the waiting room for the bus

stop is located under the secondary roof and this way added to the volume of the station. The bike

riders also end up there as the bike parking is situated under the main hall and to get there you go

under the secondary roof and down towards the tunnel. Douma comments that the roof designed by

Van der Gaast is promoting the integration of the different modes of transport (Douma, 1998, p. 98).

It also connects in a very natural way the front square to the main hall and the main hall to the

platforms. The materials used by the architect are as always chosen so that they also establish a

connection between the station and the other modes of transport. To achieve that he goes for strong

and slick materials which not only create a certain image but also are much easier to maintain and to

clean.


12/25

12 | P a g e

Douma concludes his thoughts about the Almelo station that even though it seamlessly unites the

different ways of transport as well as the inside and outside space it is not the totally no-faade-only-

roof station that it is striving to be(Douma, 1998, p. 98). Nevertheless it is an important step in that

direction and the roof plays a crucial role in it.

Fig. 4 Plan Almelo station with the bus stop to its right and the kiss ad ride under the roof in front of the entrance(Van der

Gaast, 1964d, p. 1060)

Schiedam Centrum

On the Schiedam Centrum station, known before that as Schiedam-Rotterdam, Van der Gaast

worked in collaboration with J. H. Baas. The building although finished on the 1st

of September 1963

took longer than it was expected when it was first started at the end of 1961. The reason for the

delay was above all the difficulties during the construction process. These difficulties were caused

mainly by the up going traffic route in front of the station which was leading towards a bridge over

the Schie. Exactly due to this height difference the station could leave a bit of a lopsidedimpression(Bramer, -). A very important goal that the NS wanted to achieve with the station complex

in Schiedam was to create a transport hub, a place where all public and private means of

transportation would come together and the people would be able to interchange safely between

the one and the other. This, of course, was not that easy to achieve when all the traffic is at one

level. That is why the bus traffic and the tram traffic were put on different levels with the latter

coming on the one level higher street exactly in front of the building and the former ending at the

lower front square, separated by the street from the station. Even though this seemed at first like a

very good decision it led to a number of problems for the architect which he managed to solve by

giving the building what he himself called a particular shape. The first difficulty he had to cope with

was the organization of the area. To be able to make a safe connection to the main hall there were

two pedestrian tunnels needed. One of those tunnels connects the front square with the station andthe other one leads to the bicycles parking which had space for 850 bikes and 150 scooters.

However, the main hall could be also entered from the higher located street at different points.

Another big issue for Van der Gaast was that the elevated road made the building difficult to see

from the lower front square. One of the solutions that he came up with was to put an office block of

five floors above the main entrance of the station. The function that was given to this office space

was to house the instruction center of the NS. Even though it was not connected to Schiedam per se,

the center was to be moved there so that this vertical element, which the architect considered

crucial, could be placed and could add to the representational qualities of the station(Van der Gaast,

1964b, pp. 302-303). Moreover, by merging the function of a railway station with that of an office

building a new phenomenon came into being the combistation (fig5) (Van den Hurk-van Haagen,


13/25

13 | P a g e

2004, p. 31).

Fig. 5 Faade Schiedam Centrum with offices tower and the hypar roof(Van der Gaast, 1964b, p. 307)

Roof construction

In order for the main goal of the station, becoming a traffic hub, to be achieved a very good

connection between all the types of transport had to be established. For the tram lines that came

much more naturally as they were on the same level as the main entrance above their surroundings

and thus in a way isolated. For the bus stops to be linked with the building a special relation between

the two had to be created and that relation came in the form of the roof. Another fundamental idea

that had to be addressed with the help of the roof was improving the image and visibility of the

station. The actual roof structure that Van der Gaast designed consisted of 24 hypar shells (fig6),

each with the dimensions of 5 by 5 meters, above the main hall of the station and one which waslocated at the entrance of the tunnel on the side of the front square. The shells were entirely made

in the factory NEMAHO in Doetinchem and were delivered to the building site by ship. Due to the

favorable superelevation and the minimal forces exerted on them and moreover because of the fact

that their gluing happened in a supervised environment in the factory the shells could be

manufactured from only two layers. Those two layers are placed diagonally on each other and then

completely glued together. The required pressure in the pieces was achieved by additionally

hammering nails into them. For that to be possible the layers could not be too thin but nevertheless

they could not be too thick either as that would have affected negatively on their curve. From all

those conditions followed the ultimate thickness of the shells which was calculated to be 3,5cm. The

architect later admitted that as far as the active loads were considered the pieces could have been

even thinner.

Fig. 6 Roof top view Schiedam Centrum(Van der Gaast, 1964b, p. 310)

The prefabricated laminated edge beams were added by means of hammering nails after the shells

were glued together and as the shells themselves were made out of dried north European fir timber.

A layer of redwood ceiling is nailed to the shells as a finishing touch with solely decorative function.

The whole pieces are put on steel shoes and connected to the concrete column tops with hinges. This

type of connection has the advantage that it is adjustable if needed in connection with tolerances. In

between the shells there are light strips introduced with dimensions of around 100 by 500 cm. The

materials used for their making are transparent plastic material in aluminum profiles.

The shell located above the entrance to the pedestrian tunnel on the side of the front square is

manufactured on the site. It is made out of three layers and has a thickness of above 6 cm. The threelayers are glued to each other with a angle of 45 degrees so that the upper layer and the lower layer


14/25

14 | P a g e

are placed parallel on top of the edge beams and thus have a angle of 90 degrees between each

other(Van der Gaast, 1964a, p. 310).

In this station Van der Gaast did not use physically the roof to connect the front square with the main

hall. What he did was to create a visual relation between those two. The form of the canopy above

the entrance of the pedestrian tunnel is the same as the pieces used for the roof of the main hall.

This way it is made more than clear that the one belongs to the other (fig7). Moreover through itsspectacular hypar shape it marks where the building starts. Apart from that it also invites the visitors

to enter and leads them as if to the entrails of the station; it even gives the impression of the gaping

mouth of an animal.

Fig. 7 Exterior view entrance of pedestrian tunnel with hypar shell above it(Van der Gaast, 1964b, p. 310)

As mentioned earlier the roof also helps in refining the image of the station and in making it visible

from the front square. Apart from catching the attention of the passerby with its peculiar form thehypar shells have another esthetical advantage as well. Since the road leading to the bridge above

the Schie was up going it was creating a sloping line in front of the building. If the station was

covered by a flat roof and creating a second line which was not parallel to the first then, seen from

the front square, it would have given the impression that it was sinking in. However, by using hypars

the second straight line was avoided and the aforementioned effect was bypassed.

As far as the interior of the station is concerned the roof is creating a lively, dynamic atmosphere and

it is allowing a lot of daylight in as wel (fig8)l. The organization of the space on the other hand is not

affected that much by the roof. The ticket counters and offices are located with their backs towards

one of the walls and the rest of the space is left open to allow the visitor to find his way easily. On

the one hand that is achieved by minimizing the construction needed by using the hypar shaped

pieces but on the other the elongated form of the building does not leave many options to the visitorand he is seamlessly led towards the platforms.

The Schiedam Centrum station is the first that develops the concept of a hypar-shaped roof which is

later to become a very important idea in the architects Tilburg station. Further as Van der Gaast puts

it himself the new building forms a dignified final piece in the Schiedams railway


15/25

15 | P a g e

metamorphosis(Van der Gaast, 1964b, p. 303).

Fig. 8 Interior with hypar roof Schiedam Centurm(Van der Gaast, 1964b, p. 303)

Tilburg

The new station of Tilburg, finished in 1965, came into being as a result of the changes introduced in

the NSs track network in the city. The cause for that was the need for a number of free crossings of

the railways so that the motorized traffic could have a better flow. The old building was not able to

take in the changes so a new one was required on its spot.

A number of factors came to influence the designing decisions and concept of the architect. On the

one hand, as always, the NS wanted an expressive building to enhance its image when competing

with the other modes of transportation. However, the location was not that accommodating in thatrespect as between the raised railways and the broadened Paralleleweg there was almost not

enough space for the station itself let alone for a building that can have an immensely representative

front faade. Moreover, in order for the whole program to fit on the lot some of it had to be located

in the railway embankment (Lansink, 1998, p. 42). On the other hand, the site had its potential when

seen from the side as a long distance vista was possible there and so from that direction the building

had to look special and inviting to compensate for its blocked front faade. But even then the

architect was not entirely convinced that that was possible as he considered that a building indented

into the road profile would have a contrary effect and it would baffle and discourage people from

using it. After some brainstorming Van der Gaast came to the conclusion that it was crucial to link in

some way the platforms with the street in order to be able to tackle this challenge. Another main

goal for the architect and for the NS was to give a new meaning and form to the concept station

with this new building in Tilburg. What they wanted was to create a center point for all public and

private means of transportation in a much more spectacular way then it was done before that with


16/25

16 | P a g e

Sciedam Centrum or Almelo; this time it not only had to work as a transportation hub it also had to

look like one.

For a start, under the whole complex a bicycle park was introduced which could house around 2 400

bikes. Further, to the west of the new building an extended bus station came into being and to the

east a big parking lot for private cars was planned(Van der Gaast, 1963, pp. 914-915). However, the

main element that brought everything together as in most of the projects done by Van der Gaast wasthe roof.

Roof construction

The way that he chose to deal with the problems of the location or the requirements made by the NS

was not to look at either one of them as difficulties but as challenges. He wanted to use them, to turn

them into advantages for the building. So he decided to make not only the side faade transparent

and inviting but also the front one. Actually all of them received the same treatment which was that

they were not present at all. The other main issues, mentioned in the previous paragraph, such as

the image the building had to transmit and the transport center point that it had to become, also

played a major part in his design. He even introduced another one to this already long list ofchallenges flexibility. The concept that he applied is one that he was working on and developing in

almost all his previous stations and in it the main role was assigned to the roof. The roof consists of

twelve hypar shells divided into two rows of six pieces, with each row aligned parallel to the direction

of the railway tracks (fig9). The dimensions of the shells are 21 by 21 meters more than four times as

big as those in the Schiedam Centrum station. The architect was inspired to use them on such a scale

after he saw a comparable hypar piece in the VVV office building in Brussels(Van der Gaast, 1963, p.

914). The total covered area by the roof is around 46,2 m by 147 m and it is lifted 10,3 m above the

ground with its highest point another 5,25 m above that. The shells are both in their longitudinal and

their transverse directions separated from each other by a light strip made out of glass with a width

of 4,2 m. The roof is supported in its place at ten different spots with two rows of three steel

columns at the edges and a row of four concrete frames in the middle. The distance between eachelement in a given row is 50,4 m. When a normal vertical force is exerted on one of the hypars a

tractive force is manifesting itself in the concave diagonal and a pressure force in the convex

diagonal. These two types of forces are conveyed via the edges of the shell to its lower corner points

where they cause a horizontal thrust force. This thrust force should not to be ignored as it can cause

the spreading of the lower edges and that is why it is taken care of by a steel rod connecting those

edges. The characteristic double curve in the elements is achieved by using a three dimensional truss

made out of thin steel beams covered in wood. The edge beams of the hypars are made out of steel

and the ones in between two shells are connected with small steel profiles thus forming a system of

trusses. The lower points of those trusses are laying on top of the concrete frames at a height of 8.95

m above the ground. The edge beams at the brims of the roof are hanging on steel ropes connected

to the tops of the slanting steel columns which on their turn are anchored to the edge beams on top

of the concrete frames(fig9)(Van der Gaast, 1964f, pp. 311-312).


17/25

17 | P a g e

Fig. 9 Roof construction with hypars, steel columns, concrete frames and steel ropes(Van der Gaast, 1964f, p. 311)

First wood was considered as material for the construction of the hypars and the same company thatdid the Schiedam Centrum shells, NEMAHO, was contacted but it eventually became clear that it

would be too expensive a solution. For that reason it was decided that steel will be used and the

company that was employed was De Vries Rob. This way the roof of Tilburg became the first one

constructed out of steel hypar shells in the Netherlands (Bramer, -). Further due to the complexity of

the structure and its unusual form extensive tests were made in a wind tunnel to get an idea about

the forces that are going to be exerted on the roof and how they will affect it (Van der Gaast, 1964f,

p. 312).

The concept that Van der Gaast used for the design of the roof in the Tilburg station is referred to by

the experts in this type of architecture as the umbrella roof (fig10). A reference to its function as a

protector from the rainfall this metaphor also shows the downsides of such a design the wind can

easily get in and on the sides even the rain can do that too. Nevertheless, by using this idea Van derGaast masterfully accomplished all the goals he had set out himself at the start of the project. That it

caught the eye of the passerby there can be no doubt as it received in parlance the nickname the

prawn crackers roof. Another association that it brings to mind is that of a weightless blanket that is

hovering over the area. An important role for the generation of that image plays the construction.

With its thin profiles and the use of steel ropes it looks as if it is there as a decoration more than

anything. The hypar shells give the impression of fluttering handkerchiefs with which the people who

stay behind wave the travelers goodbye. The architect created this effect by stripping the features of

travelling and moving down to their core. This way he came up with a canopy that the wind seems to

play with, that seems to be flying away, that has no roots and looks flexible and modern (Wieringa,

2001, p. 29).


18/25

18 | P a g e

Fig. 10 The roof construction of Tilburg station(Bramer, -)

A very intriguing aspect of the roof is that it does not only mark the station with its specific function

of selling tickets and giving train schedule information but also all the functions that surround it and

that are connected to it as well. The roof spreads over the front square with the bus stop managing

to extend the profile of the boulevard in front of the station and solving one of the initial problems

(Van der Gaast, 1963, p. 914). Further it reaches over bits of the street itself, the parking lot and theplatforms. By doing so and also through the lack of facades these city elements together with the

types of transportation they represent (buses, cars, bikes, train) become part of the domain of the

station(fig11). For Van der Gaast stations were much more than just a place where you wait for a

transfer from one train to the other. The trains themselves were in his eyes metaphors for

dynamism, movement and adventure, all properties that belong to the modern city way of living.

That is why the building of the station had to be in the city without a faade or wall between the two

of them(Wieringa, 2001, p. 28).

Fig. 11Section of the Tilburg station showing how the roof is stretching over the street(Van der Gaast, 1964f, p. 312)

Another important hallmark of the station is the space organization that the roof allows it. As C.

Douma would call it, it is the everything-under-one-roof-ideal. Never before and never after is thisideal so powerfully demonstrated as in the Tilburg railway station. Van der Gaast uses it as a


19/25

19 | P a g e

unifying element under which he positions independent volumes such as the offices, the shops, the

ticket sailing counter etc. Here, this time on a functional level, the flexibility of the building is again to

be seen and as the architect himself says stations should posses a certain amount of it so that they

can accommodate possible changes in their usage quickly and without radical changes(Van der

Gaast, 1964e, p. 623). Further Van der Gaast used the canopy to organize the space by positioning

the main hall and the other service functions under the first row of hypars and the waiting rooms andthe platforms under the second row. But the architect did not only use the roof as an organizational

tool for the program but also for the visitors. The Tilburg station was designed as if it was an

everyday tool so it had to be practical, functional and accessible and it had to be very clear in its

routing. That is accomplished by its total transparency and also by the freedom of the plan due to the

minimal amount of abutments. This way the traveler already from the street has a perfect idea

where he can buy a ticket, or where he can check the train schedule, or how to get to the train itself.

The passerby is invited to enter as well as by the smooth form of the roof as by the semi open

character of the station. On the one hand the roof is a protective eye-catcher and on the other it

forms a subtle transition from the bus/car to the front square/parking, to the main hall, to the

platform and finally to the train.

With his design Van der Gaast managed not only to literally break with a hundred twenty five yearold tradition of monumental station buildings with enormous facades that separated the tracks from

the city but also to earn recognition for the statement that form and content should become one. His

design did not just have a roof but it consisted purely of a roof(Wieringa, 2001, p. 28).

Amsterdam-Schiphol

The railway station Amsterdam-Schiphol built in 1978 was one of the better examples of the station

architecture in the seventies (Van den Hurk-van Haagen, 2004, p. 43). It could be even considered an

exception of the trend during that time as there was a very distinctive turn towards serialization and

minimization. The Dutch Railways company was going through some serious financial problems and

was also losing ground to the motor transport. Nevertheless in this case there were sufficient funds

for the design of an imposing and luxurious building (Douma, 1998, p. 116). The NS had developed intheir plan Tracks to 75 a few daring intentions, amongst which was the improvement of the net,

intensifying of the frequency of the trains and replacement of the cars and locomotives. All that was

done to promote the image of the train transport and to stimulate people to use it more as at the

end of the sixties the number of passengers had dropped significantly. The most important aspect of

those plans, though, was the construction of a few railway connections such as the Schiphol line

which would offer a direct link to the tree big Randstad cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague

with the airport. As the train station was part of the airport there was enough money made available

for a design of a building that would be easily discernible as a NS station (Van den Hurk-van Haagen,

2004, p. 43). Van der Gaast collaborated on this project with the engineer S. H. Krudde as well as with

the architect of the airport prof. M. F. Duintjer. The build area of the whole building was 4 200m2

and it cost twenty-two million Guldens which is around ten million Euros in todays money

(Anonymous, 1980, pp. 57-58).

Roof construction

When designing the Amsterdam-Schiphol station Koenraad van der Gaast was faced with a few

serious difficulties. On the one hand as the train lines were underground and so the bulk of the

construction was at the same level the danger existed of the building turning into a glorified metro

station. All that could lead to an unsatisfying architectural experience for the visitors. On the other

hand it could also show insufficient representative capabilities. This would have been a serious issue

with the NS as they were trying to resurrect their image with this building. However, the station had

to compete on the plot with the huge and very dominant airport and on top of that the program was

not that big so this posed the threat of the building looking more like a modest hut than the dazzling

construction it was supposed to be (Douma, 1998, p. 163). To solve all those challenges Van der

Gaast opted for a circular building which looked the same from all sides and as always treated the


20/25

20 | P a g e

fifth faade with a lot of care. In this case the roof had an important meaning not only because of

the special place that this part of the building had in the architects work but also because at such a

location it would be visible to millions of eyes. The roof is 70 meters in diameter and is divided into

six pieces. Each piece is higher than the one before by one meter with the lowest one at the height of

six and a half meters and the highest at the level of eleven and a half meters (fig12)(Krudde, 1977, p.

23). The highest segment is located on the side of the parking lot where it was planned that a secondbuilding of the station was going to be build. The height of this segment is also so determined that an

overhead bridge can be placed as a connection between the two buildings. Further this configuration

of the roof was used to place all the installation equipment needed underneath the different parts.

This way all kinds of small side buildings were avoided in a very subtle and elegant way. In the

center of the roof a light well is introduced which has the form of a hollow cylinder with a diameter

of 10m (fig15). The lowest point of this cylinders is four and a half meters and the highest is twelve

and a half. Its construction as well as that of the whole roof is made of steel as it was looked for a

material that can span big distances but also one that is not going to exert great loads to the

underground construction of the train tunnels. In the interior the roof is covered with sound

insulating materials so that the visitors are protected from the loud noises of the airplanes and on

the outside black aluminum is used to cover the edge of the roof(Douma, 1998, p. 163).

Fig. 12 Section of Amsterdam-Schiphol station showing the different segments of the roof(Anonymous, 1980, p. 58)

The main goal of this project is to create a specific image of the railway transport in the travelerwhich would encourage him to use it more in the future. An interesting issue is the kind of

associations the building brings in the user. For this station in particular the impression left on the

visitor does not only come from seeing it from the inside or outside at eyelevel, it also has to be

taken into account the huge amount of air traffic that passes above it. So looked from above one

possible image that the building can bring to mind according to Trudy van den Hurk van Hagen is

that of a cake cut into six pieces. Further she suggests the association of an up going round staircase

(Van den Hurk-van Haagen, 2004, p. 43). Another interesting analogy that springs to mind is the

airplane engine which immediately establishes a canny connection with the airport and its

function(fig13). A curious fact that should be mentioned when discussing the roof shape is that in the

beginning a dome was considered. That option, though, was quickly discarded as the architect was

worried that it would make the building look too sacral and monumental (Douma, 1998, p. 163).


21/25

21 | P a g e

Fig. 13 Top view Amsterdam-Schihol(Bramer, -)

Another area where the roof could be used to great effect is that of organizing the internal space of

the building. The potential in the case of the Amsterdam-Schiphol station was on the one hand in the

circular shape of the roof and on the other in the segments with different height. Van der Gaast only

used the round form to position the offices and service rooms on the edge of the circle and to leave

the inner part free for the station hall but the differences in height were not taken advantage of. This

organization of the plan and especially the open and free of visual obstacles station hall allows the

passenger to quickly find his way also aided by the light cylinder which marks the center of the space

(Krudde, 1977, p. 24). As far as linking the different types of transports the roof doesnt play a very

significant role. The possible connections that can be made are with private car transport and with

the air mode of transport. One can argue that as the parking is located at the side where the highestpiece of the roof stands it marks in a way the connection. On the other hand the architects idea was

to create a building which looks more or less the same from all sides so this link is much more

subconscious than real. Also the roof does not communicate in a physical way with the building of

the airport which can be explained again with the architects concept that the two should be

different and that the station should not become subordinate to the airport. Nevertheless, there are

subtle references used by the architect. On the on hand the dark edges of the roof correspond to the

airport building (Douma, 1998, p. 163). On the other, the image of an airplane engine that the roof

brings to mind when seen from above also links the station to the air mode of transport.

Fig. 14 Plan of Amsterdam-Schiphol(Anonymous, 1980, p. 58)


22/25

22 | P a g e

Fig. 15 Light cylinder Amsterdam Schiphol(Saal, 1983, p. 111)

Conclusions

The goal of this text is to look through some of the major works of Koenraad van Der Gaast as a head

architect of the NS and to find how the roof evolved. From this research it becomes quite obvious

that it was an important tool for the architect in his quest for the new image of the Dutch railway

station. During this journey he devised more than one important concept all of which were partiallyor entirely dependent on the roof. The highlight of its continuous transformation and refinement

came with the design for the Tilburg railway station. That is why this building was chosen as a

reference point in this text and the other designs show how his main ideas developed towards it and

what happened with them after that.

The first discussed project, Amsterdam-Sloterdijk, is already a significant break with the established

station architecture before that time. It was the perfect opportunity for Van der Gaast to put his

innovative ideas into practice. The reason for that was that this station was the perfect example of

the new situation which the train transport was finding itself in. It was a station mainly for

commuters so it should have not presented any obstacles to the traveler and it should have offered a

direct route to the train. Another two important issues which allowed the architect to experiment

with it to the full extent of his capabilities was that it was on a quite small scale and it was atemporary construction. So with it Van der Gaast introduced his idea of the station as a canopy which

had no faade. Another important and innovative aspect of this design is that he used the roof to

mark the station as a function and as a location. By doing so he also established a link to the

surroundings and to the nearby bus stop. Even though the roof was not very expressive in form or

dimensions the modern materials used, predominantly steel and glass made it stand out and also

reminded the visitors of the materials used for the fabrication of the main competitor of the train

the car. All those ideas introduced for the first time with this station can be seen in his following

designs.

Almelo was also following the concept of the umbrela underneath which the different functions of

the station are arranged or as Douma called it everything-under-one-roof-station. Here, though,

this idea was taken one step further as even some of the surroundings were taken under the canopy.On the one hand the road was going underneath it and on the other the bus stop waiting room was


23/25

23 | P a g e

covered by it as well. This way the building was integrating all the types of transportation and was

linking itself to the location. Amsterdam-Sloterdijk was too modest in size to really dominate its

surrounding whereas in Almelo the roof was realized on a much bigger scale and it organized the

area. However, this difference did not come from that much bigger program. Almelo was required to

enhance the image of the NS with an imposing building but did not have the filling for it.

Nevertheless, the roof design came as a solution to that issue and contributed greatly for a verymodern design. Even though it was a resounding success it did not entirely fulfill the concept

introduced with Sloterdijk. Despite being very transparent and inviting, it did have a faade which

physically if not visually introduced a barrier between the front square and the platforms.

The station in Schiedam on the other hand presents some different conditions than the two

previously discussed. Although as in Almelo it had to be a transportation hub for the city the

connection between bus stop and platform was hindered by the elevated road between them. Again

Van der Gaast tried to tackle this by designing a spectacular roof. As in Almelo the building had to self

promote itself and the train transport but the road before it was obscuring the view. By using hypar

shells the architect on one hand made it recognizable from afar and on the other by placing one of

them above the tunnel leading from the bus stop to the main hall he established a visual connection

between them. Further he used for the first time the hypar form which he later so successfullyapplied for the Tilburg station.

As already mentioned the Tilburg train station was the highlight of the railway architecture of its

generation. But on a more personal level it was the point where all the concepts and ideas tried and

tested before it were fused together with a one sweeping gesture. Here we can see the total

transparency of the Sloterdijk station due to the lack of faade, the integration of all the different

types of transportation in Almelo achieved by covering a part of their domains (street, parking lot,

bus stop, bike parking, train platform) and adding them to that of the station. Further this approach

also solved some urban planning problems. As in Schiedam the street in front of the station was not

allowing the building to present itself with the appropriate aplomb. By removing the faade and by

stretching the canopy over it the streets profile was improved and also the image of the building was

enhanced. Even though Schiedam and Tilburg had a similar area and lay out of their main halls thescale on which the hypars were applied in the latter made a big difference. By making them four

times bigger Van der Gaast managed to give the building the grandeur he was looking for. Further

the structure elements added a lot to the spectacular appearance of the station. Comparable to

Almelo in their imaginative expressiveness in Tilburg the columns were much more elegant and

thinner. Moreover the use of steel ropes amplified the feeling of weightlessness that the roof was

creating.

The last station discussed, Amsterdam Schiphol, presents a break with the line of thought

encountered in all of the other four stations. That can be attributed to the change of the times for

the NS more than to a change in the architectural ideals of Van der Gaast. The station designs from

that time were suffering from low budgets and from a very strong pressure for standardization.

Nevertheless, with this building the architect showed once more his high skills and again the fifth

faade played a big part. Comparable in scale to Tilburg and Schiedam, Schiphol had also like those

two to deal with an awkward location. This time the challenge was coming from the dominating

airport building. The program again was not that big but by enlarging the roof and giving it an

interesting shape the station received a strong character the same way that that happened in

Almelo. Although, there is no trace of the umbrella concept so important in the other stations the

ideas of transparency and integration of the different types of transportation were still present. The

faades were mainly realized in glass which allowed a perfect view inside the building. On the other

hand the materials of the roof and their color were creating a link with the building of the airport and

this link was strongly emphasized by its shape. From above from where millions of people where

looking at it as they were landing or taking off, the roof resembled an airplane engine which was the

biggest reference to the air mode of transportation.


24/25

24 | P a g e

All the stations discussed in this text are good examples of the importance of the roof in architecture.

Van der Gaast masterfully managed to use this element in his designs to control the interior and the

exterior of his buildings and to make them a subtle transition from the street to the platform.


25/25

Sources

Anonymous. (1980). Stationsgebouw van de Nederlandse Spoorwegen te Amsterdam-Schiphol.

Bouw, 35(2), 57-58.

Bramer, W. (-). Stationsweb - de grootste verzameling foto's van Nederlandse stations. Retrieved25.10.2010, from http://www.stationsweb.nl/

Douma, C. (1998). Stationsarchitectuur in Nederland 1938-1998. Zutphen: Walburg Pers.

Gout, R., & Sterenberg, J. (1993). Semper Spatium 1945-1952. Delft: TUDelft.

Krudde, S. H. (1977). Het NS-station Schiphol. Het bouwkundig ontwerp. Bouwen met staal, 11(41),

23-29.

Lansink, V. (1998). Spoorwegstations in Nederland 1955-1980. Variatie in Standaardisatie. Utrecht:

Universiteit Utrecht.

Saal, P. (1983). Kijk op stations. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Schelling, H. G. J. (1959). Vijf nieuwe stationsgebouwen. Bouwkundig weekblad, 77(1), 3-13.

Van den Hurk-van Haagen, T. (2004). K. van der Gaast (1923-1993) transparantie en onverhulde

constructies. Rotterdam: Stichting Bonas.Van der Gaast, K. (1956). Haltegebouw Sloterdijk. Bouw, 11(48), 1036-1037.

Van der Gaast, K. (1957). Stationsgebouw Amsterdam-Sloterdijk. Bouwkundig weekblad, 75(20), 233-

235.

Van der Gaast, K. (1961). Station te Almelo. Bouw, 16(11), 339.

Van der Gaast, K. (1963). Ontwerp stationsgebouw Tilburg. Bouw, 18(28), 914-915.

Van der Gaast, K. (1964a). De dakschalen. Bouw, 19(10), 310.

Van der Gaast, K. (1964b). Het nieuwe stationsgebouw Schiedam. Bouw, 19(10), 302-309.

Van der Gaast, K. (1964c). Het nieuwe stationsgebouw te Almelo. Polytechnisch tijdschrift, 19, 354b-

359b.

Van der Gaast, K. (1964d). Het nieuwe stationsgebouw te Almelo. Bouw, 19(30), 1058-1062.

Van der Gaast, K. (1964e). Overpeinzingen van een stationsarchitect. Bouw, 19(18), 622-624.Van der Gaast, K. (1964f). Stationsoverkapping te Tilburg. Bouw, 19(10), 311-312.

Wieringa, F. (2001). Renovatie laat stalen kap ongemoeid. Bouwen met staal, 34(163), 28-29.

Date post:	06-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	lubomir-dragomirov
View:	215 times
Download:	0 times

The Development of the Roof in the Stations of Koenraad Van Der Gaast_Lubo_Dragomirov_1274902

Documents