In 2022, Marge Arkitekter, in collaboration with Foster + Partners, Land Arkitektur, Thornton Tomasetti, Ramboll, Wenanders & Tam Group, was awarded a parallel commission by Jernhusen to design the new Central Station in Stockholm.
Inaugurated in 1871, Stockholm Central Station formed the heart of the growing Swedish capital. Today some 200,000 people pass through the station every day and in order to cope with the demands of future travel the track capacity must be increased. The expansion of the station provides a unique opportunity to develop Sweden’s most central meeting place and improve the traffic flow and improve everyday life in this part of the city.
The Swedish Transport Administration’s proposed new track and platform layout will enable a 40% increase in the number of trains, thus doubling travel capacity. In addition, the new station will provide the opportunity to integrate several sustainable modes of transport into a new exchange hub. The covering of the track area facilitates the development of a sustainable urban environment in which pedestrians are prioritised. This area has the potential to become a new destination and meeting place in Stockholm and Sweden as a whole.
The proposal is based on connecting the station area with the adjacent city. The new Central Station will interlink surrounding streets and improve communication between the eastern and western parts of Stockholm. New and improved flows will be created, providing excellent conditions for active and safe public spaces and streets. A new public square will be developed on the street of Klarabergsgatan and a new park, inspired by the historic Railway Park, will be recreated in the southern section of the area. With views of the water, the park will be a green oasis in central Stockholm.
It is important to strengthen the Central Station’s role in the city and develop its function as a meeting place for sustainable travel. By exposing and accentuating the station building, it will regain its historic appearance, while the central waiting hall will be re-established as the hub of the Central Station. The Klaraberg Viaduct will be narrowed to provide space for an extension of the central waiting hall. With a new east-west tunnel under the Klaraberg Viaduct, the central waiting hall will link all modes of transport, that is, national and international rail services, the Arlanda Express as well as the City Terminal bus station, the Metro, and, eventually, Stockholm’s recently opened regional commuter rail line. A new centralised Logistics Centre is planned to the west of the tracks, providing direct communication channels to the new neighbourhoods, without disturbing the public space above.
The covering of the track area requires an advanced technical solution, a bridge construction that spans the tracks. An arch bridge design will create an architectural and structural solution that lend identity to the ground floors, the station functions, and the railroad.
The ambition is to build a Central Station subject to the highest sustainability standards. A circular economy, conscious material choices and innovative technical solutions will reduce the carbon footprint, aiming to create a climate-neutral hub for sustainable travel and transport.
Video of project here.
Project: Centralstaden Status: On-going Area: 155 000 m2 Type: New-build and reconstruction of mixed-use space Scope: Winner of competition proposal Location: Stockholm Client: Jernhusen Team: Foster + Partner, Land Arkitektur, Thornton Tomasetti, Ramboll, Wenanders & Tam Group Visualizations: TMRW
