gmp architekten: tianjin west railway station

'tianjin west railway station' by gmp architekten, tianjin, china
broad open-air steps lead to the southern forecourt
image © christian gahl
all images courtesy of gmp architekten


construction for the 'tianjin west railway station' by hamburg-based gmp architekten has recently completed
in tianjin, china. positioned 130 kilometers southwest of beijing, this hub will become a new stop on the
high speed line between the capital city and shanghai in addition to providing connections to the regional
and underground networks. the structure will facilitate a commercial area to the north and an original city
center to the south, bridging and unifying the encompassing urban context.



terminal concourse
image © christian gahl


two points of entry evoke a large scale gate, framed with arched windows above the entrances. connecting
each end of the station, a central spine formed with an extensive 57 meter high and 400 meter long barrel
vault roof defines the main terminal concourse. supported with a steel diagrid, the glazed panels flood the
interior with abundant natural daylight while solar radiation is blocked with an additional structural tier
which is interwoven to generate a dynamic appearance. a series of arcades protect the tracks which meet
the building along the east and west elevation, perpendicularly to the main concourse. passengers descend
to the platforms below grade via a series of escalators.



daylight fills the concourse
image © christian gahl



view of concourse from mezzanine
image © christian gahl



barrel vault roof
image © christian gahl



escalators leading to platforms below grade
image © christian gahl



arcade protecting platforms
image © christian gahl



view while approaching on train
image © christian gahl



elevation
image © gmp



section
image © gmp



section
image © gmp



site plan
image © gmp



floor plan / level 0
image © gmp



floor plan / level -1
image © gmp


project info:


competition: 2007 – 1st prize
design: meinhard von gerkan and stephan schütz with stephan rewolle
project leader: jiang lin lin
design team, phase 1: iris belle, shi liang, du peng, chunsong dong
design team, phase 2: nicolas pomränke, jochen sültrup, clemens ahlgrimm, christian dorndorf, bernd gotthardt,
clemens kampermann, kian lian, sabine stage, cai wei
design team, phase 3: sebastian linnack, thomas schubert, zheng shan shan
detailed design team, phase 4 dong shu ying, sebastian linack, thomas schubert, zheng shan shan
structural engineers: schlaich bergermann und partner
chinese partner practice: tsdi
client: tianjin ministry of railway
gross floor area: 179,000 m²
number of platforms: 24
construction period: 2009–2011