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A railway station of glass

Benthem Crouwel Architects transformed The Hague Central Station into a light-filled, easy-to-read building where all public transport systems converge at the heart of the city.

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  • 19 February 2016
  • The Hague

These days some 190,000 travellers and passers-by make use of The Hague Central Station.

The upgrade takes into account that the number of users is expected to double in the coming decade, due to the link-up with the local Randstadrail rapid transit network and the high-speed rail line from Amsterdam to Paris.

Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands

Benthem Crouwel Architects has designed the new station as a roofed urban plaza, a place for residents and commuters alike. Its additional entrances have strengthened physical ties between the city centre and the financial district (Beatrixkwartier). There are four entrances in all and this foursidedness returns in the roof, which has been designed as a diagonal pattern of lozenge-shaped panels. These present a spectacular play of light and shadow whenever there is sunshine. The lozenges provide ventilation by opening automatically in warm weather, act as solar protection, contribute to the acoustics and open as smoke vents should fire break out. Eight elegant columns support the station roof, which is the size of two football pitches. The station building, which measures 120 by 96 metres and is 22 metres tall, is almost entirely of glass. Once inside, all modes of transport (train, tram and bus) as well as retail and hospitality areas can be taken in at a glance. The design provides a natural and flexible organization of traffic flows. Multiple routes are possible, in fact every traveller or passer-by creates a route of their own.

Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands. Roofplan
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands. Ground floor plan
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands. First floor plan
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands. Second floor plan
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands. Third floor plan
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands. Elevation
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands. Section
Benthem Crouwel Architects, The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands. Section


The Hague Central Station, The Hague, The Netherlands
Program: railway station
Architects: Benthem Crouwel Architects
Project team: Jan Benthem, Mels Crouwel, Pieter van Rooij, Anja Blechen, Jurriaan de Bruijn, Frank Deltrap, Aafke van Dijk, Amir Farokhian, Pia Hanhijärvi, Jeroen Jonk, Volker Krenz, Ronno Stegeman, Daniel van der Voort, Guido Wassenaar, Marcel Wassenaar, Jos Wesselman 
Client: ProRail, Gemeente Den Haag, VROM, Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Structural engineering, mechanical services, building physics: Grontmij, Houten 
Contractor: Strukton Bouw
Area: 20,000 sqm
Completion: 2016

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