Architects:
Arup
Location: Durban,
South Africa
Project Team: Project Lead; Caroline Sohie, Associate Director, Arup
Interior Décor: Arup Interchange Design South Africa
Project Year: 2011
Photographer: Edwin Seda
Website: www.arup.com
Arup set for themselves a challenge to sort out the dilapidated Durban train station feeding the Moses Mabhida Stadium, and the volumes that resulted were ones commensurate with movement, interchange and mobility. The station provides a link between the rail tracks and the overhead bridge that spills onto the road next to the Stadium.
It was envisioned as a solution to mass transit from the stadium and gently filters commuters of the PRASA rail system through and within the city of Durban.
It is perhaps a low key station, with a gentle canopy inviting you into a quiet timber cladded space with glazed railings and polished floors, you can see the tellers engulfed in their daily tasks but more so you can see them framed by timber, a bold detail to create a homely yet official feel to the station.
Arup explain the deisgn as “an ambition for the Moses Mabhida Station to integrate architectural vision, civic identity and urban context within the rigorous requirements of passenger flows and operational demands.” Arup prioritised ease of movement, ease of access and visibility to maximise security as key design factors. Light was another important architectural element in the station. The absence of clutter helps to ensure easy maintenance without having to compromise on comfort.
The overall idea for the station was therefore to demonstrate a certain dignity and formality to public transport and generating ideas for the nodes of transport to filter into the neighboring communities
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