High speed railway terminal

Praha, Nehvizdy, 2020

The winning design of the first high-speed railway terminal in the Czech Republic. In the future, high-speed rail will partially replace air transport. Therefore, high-speed rail terminals should be close to those of airport terminals in terms of the nature and high standard of the indoor environment.

The generously covered areas of the bus platforms, TAXI and K + R parking, the glass hall of the terminal, and the view from the hall of the track with passing high-speed trains are symbols of such a solution. The three-pronged roof of the terminal building contains the dynamics of high-speed trains and opens its friendly arms towards arriving passengers.

Part of the glazed heated entrance hall is located directly above the track, so passengers have a direct frontal view of passing trains while waiting.

The pre-space of the glazed entrance hall is defined by two opening arms, between which a bus terminal is located.

The surface car park system surrounds the building in concentric circles. It thus optimizes walking distances from individual parking spaces to trains. The main aspects determining the character of surface car parks are water retention and elimination of overheating.

The parking lot is consistently divided by 4-meter stripes of greenery with seepage ditches and space for mature trees.

The existing road Nehvizdy – Horoušany is respected in its current route. And it is partially involved in the internal transport organization of the terminal. The terminal building is located east of it.

Urban and architectural solutions

The high-speed terminal building is located in the middle of the fields of the Elbe lowlands. Its position is protected by a newly planted circular belt of the forest. The area in front of the terminal is defined by the southern ring road.

The existing road Nehvizdy – Horoušany is respected in its current route. And it is partially involved in the internal transport organization of the terminal. The terminal building is located east of it. The terminal is designed as a three-pointed star. The pre-space of the glazed entrance hall is defined by two opening arms, between which a bus terminal is located. The third arm points vertically across the track. It forms an overpass with an integrated departure hall. Here, passengers are waiting in the warmth with a frontal view of the passing trains.

The dynamic three-pronged shape of the terminal refers to the speed of VRT trains, its curved curves follow the morphology of the unravelings of individual tracks in the railway tracks.

The piazza in front of the open arms of the entrance arms of the terminal serves as a relaxation and meeting space. Pedestrians are led to it in the middle. There are 4 bus-waiting areas on the piazza side.

Opposite the entrance to the terminal is a four-storey parking house for 1000 cars. Passengers are guided from the parking areas by pedestrian radials, which lead to the center of the terminal. Hiking trails are lined with trees and separating strips of greenery.

Design and material solutions

The roof of the terminal consists of a light steel truss structure, covered with sheet metal slats. The three-pointed roof “wing” is supported by reinforced concrete rings, in which the closed construction program of the terminal and elevators to the platform is located. The floor of the terminal above the through the profile of the line is designed as a reinforced concrete bridge structure. Along the railway line, a reinforced concrete retaining wall is built in the place of the terminal, which runs into the sloping railway corridor on the sides of the terminal. In the area of ​​the retaining wall, a reinforced concrete underground floor with technologies and facilities for employees is sunk below the center of the terminal. The Nehvizdy-Horoušánky road bridge over the VRT is a reinforced concrete chamber supported by circular reinforced concrete columns in the place of the platforms.

Layout and operational solutions

Two covered platforms extending from the terminal include 1 exit and 3 boarding car seats, 5 taxi stands, and 5 K + R stands. The boarding edges are covered with an overlap of about 2 meters, which ensures the exit and boarding “dry foot”. On covered platforms. The circular supports include facilities for car drivers, a warehouse for technical and cleaning material for the exterior. There are also integrated food vending machines in the supports. Bicycle parking is located in two separate covered parking lots on the sides of the terminal. The glazed departure hall can be entered from five sides through an automatic door. In the center of the hall is a circular building with ticket sales and information. Above the box office is the main panel with train departures. In the middle circle, there are also toilets accessible via turnstiles. The entrance to the toilet is designed as a labyrinth without the need to reach when leaving the handle. There are seats on the sides of the entrance hall, which can serve passengers waiting for a bus or taxi in the heat. There are 4 ticket machines in the entrance hall. The departure hall is located on the bridge above the track. It integrates 4 business units with common facilities. The perimeter walls are fully glazed and allow an unobstructed view of the track. From the departure hall, glass tubes with escalators and stairs lead to the island platform. The partially enclosed area of ​​the winter waiting rooms continues on the platform. In the basement of the terminal, there are technological rooms, facilities for employees, a transport office, and security guards. The rooms are illuminated by a window leading from the retaining wall to the track. The transport office has an overview of the movement of trains in the station.

Authors:
ov – a, ov architekti, Jiří Opočenský, Štěpán Valouch + Metroprojekt

Location:
Nehvizdy, Prague East

Architectural competition:
2020, 1st place

Co authors:
Barbora Juríčková, Jakub Masný, Jakub Neumann, Františka Podzimková,

Leading architect:
Ondřej Králík

Client:
SŽDC

Photography:
dousek-zaborsky.com