The city of Amsterdam has developed a great culture around "two wheels" to respond to the almost 900,000 bicycles owned by its 882,000 inhabitants. The central railway station was built on three artificial islands and has always been a nerve centre of communication.
The parking lot, inaugurated yesterday, Wednesday, has been designed by the wUrck architecture studio, after winning a competition organized by the City Council. The infrastructure is located between Prins Hendrikkade and Stationsplein, submerged at more than nine meters by allowing the traffic of the tourist boats that have their landing stages above the car park to flow.
The building has a monumental entrance with glass doors always open, to facilitate natural lighting inside, where white and light predominate. The hall has an automated system that facilitates the registration of the cyclist with his transport card, or through a device that is integrated into the bicycle.
Bicycle Parking Stationsplein by wUrck. Photograph by Aiste Rakauskaite Photography.
Bicycle Parking Stationsplein by wUrck. Photograph by Aiste Rakauskaite Photography.
Bicycle Parking Stationsplein by wUrck. Photograph by Aiste Rakauskaite Photography.
The bike can be placed inside at two heights, and the orientation inside is very simple, organized by a large, slightly curved central corridor from which you can see the opposite exit at the end of the colonnade that connects to the connecting tunnel with the subway and railway lobbies.
Although the Dutch are used to dealing with water, the construction of the building was not without complexity and required draining part of the area during construction, protecting the area with a metal sheet piling that allowed the structure of concrete slabs and pillars to be raised, to then cover it again with water from the river IJ, from which the rest of the city's canals are also fed.
The parking lot, inaugurated yesterday, Wednesday, has been designed by the wUrck architecture studio, after winning a competition organized by the City Council. The infrastructure is located between Prins Hendrikkade and Stationsplein, submerged at more than nine meters by allowing the traffic of the tourist boats that have their landing stages above the car park to flow.
The building has a monumental entrance with glass doors always open, to facilitate natural lighting inside, where white and light predominate. The hall has an automated system that facilitates the registration of the cyclist with his transport card, or through a device that is integrated into the bicycle.
Bicycle Parking Stationsplein by wUrck. Photograph by Aiste Rakauskaite Photography.
Bicycle Parking Stationsplein by wUrck. Photograph by Aiste Rakauskaite Photography.
Bicycle Parking Stationsplein by wUrck. Photograph by Aiste Rakauskaite Photography.
The bike can be placed inside at two heights, and the orientation inside is very simple, organized by a large, slightly curved central corridor from which you can see the opposite exit at the end of the colonnade that connects to the connecting tunnel with the subway and railway lobbies.
Although the Dutch are used to dealing with water, the construction of the building was not without complexity and required draining part of the area during construction, protecting the area with a metal sheet piling that allowed the structure of concrete slabs and pillars to be raised, to then cover it again with water from the river IJ, from which the rest of the city's canals are also fed.
