Metro station as beacon

The completion of the redeveloped Kraaiennest metro station in the Bijlmer is the final piece in the large-scale renovation of ‘K area’. The old Kraaiennest station, the last but one station on the Gaasperplas metro line, has undergone a radical transformation. The redevelopment of Kraaiennest metro station is part of the Bijlmer regeneration project and of the Oostlijn renovation project. The architects were therefore faced with the challenge of designing, around and over the existing platform and metro track, a functional, easy to manage and safe station, whose architectural quality would impact on the surrounding area. The design comprises a roof, a station concourse and an emergency stairwell. The decorative elements and the warm colours contrast with the sober concrete of the existing metro tracks and the platform.

The technical spaces are situated in a closed concrete volume clad with stainless steel, the lowest four metres of which are punctured with decorative plant motif openings in order to deter illegal postering and graffiti and to allow daylight inside. During the day, the patterns in this screen create a play of light inside the station concourse. In the dark, the station is illuminated from inside and presents itself as a beacon for the neighbourhood.

As well as a decorative function, the station’s double skin also has a structural function, whereby the escalator and lift core support large sections of the platform. Three escalators and a lift give access to the platform, which is situated eleven metres higher. The new, solid-looking platform roof rests on comparatively slender columns. The underside of the platform roof, which is prominently visible for passengers ascending on the escalator, is bright red. (ARCM/AT)