Hanzelaan bus station, Zwolle (NL)

After Utrecht, Zwolle is the most important railway hub in the Netherlands. A doubling of capacity at the station meant the entire station area needed to be upgraded, which included a new bus station. The former bus station on the edge of the city centre had become too busy, which meant that a second bus station had been built to the south of the station, with a special bridge over the railway to link the two.

The bus station on Hanzelaan comprises a single, long island platform with 21 stops, each cut into the platform like the teeth of a saw blade. The stops have different lengths to allow standard buses and longer buses to pull up. With 21 stops, there is enough space for all buses to arrive at the same time – around 1200 buses depart the station every day.

The platform is dotted with trees along its length to help improve the climate and enhance passenger comfort. The furniture used in the bus station is the same as that used on the railway platforms – this helps to create uniformity and unity. The bus station has enough shelters that travellers can wait for buses without getting wet. Passengers can reach the bus station safely via the tunnel and bridge over the railway.

The bus station in Zwolle is an unusual project that has used warm grey clay pavers from Vandersanden for its paving. Clay pavers have a stylish, professional look. The firing process gives the stones a striking, grey colour cast, with flowing tints and nuances. The pavers are scattered around the island platform, creating an unusual interplay of dark and light grey stones with yellow/brown nuances.

• Client: City of Zwolle (NL)
• Design: City of Zwolle
• Contractor: NTP Groep
• Colour: warm grey, special project colour
• Size: dik format