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The densification around Utrecht Central demanded clear choices. In the existing situation, the connections were unclear, unattractive and counterintuitive. In order to properly direct the quality of the connection between different modalities (both accessibility and clarity), the choice was made to give the pedestrian experience the highest priority, and the cyclist the second priority. By separating the pedestrian, bicycle and bus vertically instead of horizontally, transfer times have been greatly reduced. Once arrived by bike, bus or car, the visitor is guided through an attractive pedestrian area to the station, offices, residential buildings and many amenities. And vice versa.
What was once the "back" of the station has turned into an equal and vibrant extension of the city center. Here, Utrecht's growth ambitions are being realized with the integration of offices, residential buildings, hotels, art, culture, bicycle parking, parking and other amenities into the existing environment. The Forum plays a crucial role in the multi-modal public transport hub that has increased the accessibility of the city and region and attractively connects existing parts of the city. The experience and safety of the pedestrian as traveler, passer-by, resident or visitor is central to its design. This complex task gives a powerful impulse to the functioning and quality of life of the Utrecht city center.
Key to the Forum's success was the split in traffic and people flows. Pedestrians walk along the Forum separated by the noise and hazards of logistics and buses. Bike storages are designed to create a smooth flow from city to station, lowering the threshold for using public transportation. In this way the Forum contributes to healthy urban development. The public areas have abundant landscaping that contrasts the busy city center. A healthy mix of species attracts insects and birds. In addition to the interconnecting parts of the Forum where the emphasis is on getting from A to B, grasses and flowers are specifically designed to guide the flows. The wind plays a major role in the spatial experience of the planting scheme and emphasizes the importance of greenery in the city.
By separating the pedestrian, bicycle, bus and parking vertically instead of horizontally, transfer times have been greatly reduced. Once arrived by bike, bus or car, the visitor is guided through an attractive pedestrian area to the station, offices, residential buildings and many amenities. And vice versa. Introducing an elevated ground level in Utrecht offered a complete reorientation of the area. The design created a new urban logic for the strategic positioning of public bicycle parking, building entrances and dwelling spaces. This resulted in an innovative urban space on different levels of interconnected squares. The Forum functions as an actual street at elevated ground level. But how do you design this? How do you get someone to take the stairs and bridge the 7,8 meters of difference in height? What makes someone want to walk there? How do you provide a safe environment? GROUP A has designed conditions to make this work. The comfortable and attractive connection between the station and the surrounding area is an important condition. Natural attractors such as the landscape staircase with landings and the fluidly designed planters, which also organize the walking flows, contribute to this. But also the staircases, elevators, the entrance to the bicycle shed and the characteristic balustrade function as beacons that tell you that you are at the station. You know where you are, you know where to go, effortlessly you move through them.
Shortly after the Forum’s opening to the public we received a published photo of a skater doing tricks at the Forum from the Urban Planner at the Municipality of Utrecht, our client, with the following comment: "And now the Forum is officially in use and truly belongs to the city of Utrecht!"
GROUP A is an office for architecture, interior design and urban design located in the Keilepand Rotterdam. Founded back in 1996 by partners Maarten van Bremen, Folkert van Hagen and Adam Visser, we are now a solid team of some 30 designers and 4 staff members.
In the past twenty-five years we have realized a wide range of projects. From offices to housing and from mobility to transformations. In our work, urban planning, architecture and interior design are inextricably linked. This allows us to design environments in which people live, work and reside comfortably in balance with the ecosystem.
In our work we feel responsible for the entire process, from design to completion. Optimism and pragmatism, with attention for the social process, characterize the way we do this. With a committed and ambitious team we design smart and distinctive solutions by overseeing the whole scope, zooming in on details and keeping the user in mind at all times.
