Colourful public space in railway zone Helmond

The railway zone in Helmond has undergone a metamorphosis that has made the train station a colourful calling card for the city. Judith van Dijk, urban planner for the City of Helmond, talks about the design of the public space. 

‘The station and the public space have been given a thorough makeover. The square, station and bicycle buildings, bus station, and railway underpass have been completely renovated. The railway zone has an important connecting function between the southern city district and the city centre. Pedestrians, cars, and cyclists can easily get from north to south via the underpass. This posed an interesting urban planning challenge,’ says Judith.

The underpass creates height differences in the public space. Moreover, the railway cuts through a space that should, in fact, serve as a connection. Yet the team of designers nevertheless succeeded in creating an attractive whole. Judith explains: ‘The brief was to turn the space into a single square in which the underpass would form the natural connection. The space of the square transitions smoothly with the change in elevation so that you hardly realise you are descending to another level.’ The railway zone is not only intended as a transfer area but also as a port of welcome and an attractive place to spend time in the city. Therefore, careful attention was given to the design of the public space.

The station square as an attractive whole

We therefore opted for a distinctive design, based on the English landscape style, where the train stops in the midst of it all and is seen by everyone.

Judith van Dijk

In terms of materials, the city set its sights on sustainability and quality. In fact, the station building is one of the most sustainable station buildings in the Netherlands. Judith tells: ‘Because there are few buildings in the station area, we had all the space we needed to create a beautiful, urban, yet green public space. The fired paving bricks play an important role in this. The extruded pavers in various colours give the square a modern, colourful, warm look. The bicycle path and parking spaces have been seamlessly integrated into the square by choosing pavers in a darker colour from the same palette. This way the square remains a unified whole.’

Judith is happy with the end result: ‘The square is both an efficient transfer space for travellers and an attractive place to spend time in the city. The height differences have been overcome in a flowing manner. By using pavement markings to designate the walking paths across the square, it turned out that much less paving was needed. We used this natural sheltered area for greenery and circular, natural stone planters with seating along the edges. There are inviting places to stand and sit everywhere, especially in the evening when the square is futuristically illuminated.’

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