Arnhem Central Station Wins Schreudersprize 2005

Arnhem Central Station Wins Schreudersprize 2005
The station area of Arnhem Central has been announced as the winner of the Schreudersprize for innovative, multiple use underground construction.

The new station area, commissioned by the city council of Arnhem, has been designed by architectural practice UN Studio (Ben van Berkel) together with Arup (Cecil Balmond).

This is the second time in a row that Arnhem will receive the biennial Schreuderprize; in 2003 the prize went to the extension of ArtEZ by the architect Hubert Jan Henket.

The jury considered the client of the station area of Arnhem Central to show courage, vision and ambition.

And at the same time it demonstrates the value of underground construction in a difficult urban context.

The fact that the numerous and diverse transport flows at Arnhem Central avoid one another is the key to the success of this project along with its high quality urban feel.

The city of Arnhem itself has played a vital role in the project.

Since 1996 it has worked closely with Ben van Berkel on the masterplan to establish the best ways of making the most of a very restricted space.

The final design has been realized by working with engineers Arup and employing specialist underground building techniques.

The result of the three party collaboration is a masterplan whose components all work in harmony with one