Text for Poster

Concept:

The intention with the re in vision of Frank Gehry's design museum was to utilise the forms of the underside of the roof to create an amazing roof space for the interior of an inner city train station. The initial idea of the train station involved masking the roof space in a cube, to hide it from the exterior.  The idea of masking the roof space was to maximise the ceilings impact on the commuter, and as you enter the station, you enter into an amazing space, which has a real impact. The forms of the ceiling are a clear contrast to the clean, crisp form of the exterior cube.

Structural:

The entire structure of the cube will be of a portal frame structure. This is the best method to use as a portal frame is capable of large spans without support. As also the use of a portal frame makes cladding possibilities greater. The cube spans for more than 80 meters unsupported. The exterior of the building is clad in a steel Colorbond® style cladding system, but the building is finished with six tubes that wrap around the entire exterior of the building.

Design:

The idea of the Train Station to be enclosed in a cube-like structure is so that the Vitra Roof form ceiling on the inside has a more dominating presence when on the station platform or when you are entering on the train. If the exterior of the building was equally as abstract in form, the ceiling on the inside would have a lesser impact.

The exterior cube structure is wrapped in long tubes. The tubes emit light at night time, and the colour of the tubes can be selected, and the combinations of the colours are endless. The cladding of the exterior of the building using tubes is  influenced by buildings such as the Water Cube in Beijing, and the Allianz stadium, which are both clad in a 'bubble' like lighting system. The straight, parallel tubes are a clear contrast to the ceiling inside, and they aid in the ceiling being the dominant feature.  
The Entrance to the Station is on the side. The entrance remains low profile as I wanted to keep the ceiling the dominant feature in this design. The entrance is simple, but effective. It is large enough to accommodate large amounts of people, but small enough to not make too much impact. 

Setting:

The Vitra Railway Station is set in a developed inner city. However, the train station is not the transport hub to the city. The organised planned layout of the buildings surrounding the railway station is juxtaposition to the form of the interior ceiling.
The interior ceiling could be interpreted as symbolising the chaotic vibrancy of city life.

The Ceiling:

The interior ceiling above the main platform is a 'stamp' of the Vitra Design Museum. I.e. the ceiling is not flat, but open and very high. The ceiling is designed to draw the attention away from the ground floor and station platform and upwards. The ceiling is constructed from a steel frame and clad in a light weight material. Cleverly placed lighting systems on the ceiling illuminate the finest forms.