ProRail and NS want to make the railway and its stations more sustainable. Many steps have already been taken in the field of energy reduction and the generation of sustainable energy. But what does the circular station look like? And what does that actually mean? In this essay, written by Mieke Oostra, explores what circular thinking and actions entail. Four perspectives are presented, and various circular design strategies are suggested. Civic conducted the spatial research and created diagrams and drawings.
The circular challenge
NS and ProRail have a magnificent 'materials bank' consisting of more than four hundred stations and 3434 kilometers of track. Every year, numerous renovations and maintenance activities take place in and around all stations. The impact of circular design is therefore significant.
Quantity and types of stations
At the moment, the Netherlands has over four hundred stations. The circular opportunities vary per type of station. For small "open-air" stations, the opportunities mainly lie in the design of public space. For stations with a building, the most important "materials resource" is the building envelope. The larger the station, the more structures for platform roofs and traverses come into play.
Case Study: Lelystad Centrum Station
To specifically identify the opportunities stations offer, we have analyzed Lelystad Station. By completely "deconstructing" the station, it becomes clear from which "layers of Steward Brand" a station consists, how much material is in each layer, how the layers relate to each other, and how the layers themselves are composed of small components and elements. The colors in these drawings correspond to the color coding from the layer drawing. This makes the potential clear at a glance.
