Zoo/Flora Rail Station | RÜBSAMEN+PARTNER

What may have been a mundane bridge crossing was transferred into a visually pleasing sculpture. Architects at RÜBSAMEN+PARTNER created a free-standing ribbon that echoes the pedestrian bridge in the lively zoo/flora rail station in Cologne Germany.

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Both the barrier-free bridge and platform are one continues element, this was emphasized by using precast reinforced concrete for both structures.The light rail station Zoo / Flora defines a place with high recreational and tourism frequency relevance. The bus stop is undeveloped barrier-free. The structural substance of the inventory is getting old.
The office for bridges and light rail in the city of Cologne has developed a concept for a new barrier-free crossing between the platforms.
Additional technical and maintenance-intensive facilities such as elevator and escalator are dispensable in this concept.
The stop Zoo / Flora has – due to the attractors’ Zoo and flora – a prominent feature. She is heavily frequented by tourists, has a lot of relevance and is on traffic islands. It requires a holistic formal setting.

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Bridge and platform are to be understood as an element of design. The platform is becoming the bridge, swings and is available via the tracks back to the platform. This definition requires the following specifications for the element-platform bridge:
– Platform and bridge have the same language and are made of the same material. E.g. Precast reinforced concrete.
– Bridge and platform are to be provided with a guardrail, the ductus in unchanging the path from one to the other side accompanied. E.g. With vertical rod structure.

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Project Info:
Architects: RÜBSAMEN+PARTNER
Location: Cologne, Germany
Architect in Charge: Boris E. Biskamp
Client: Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe
LIghting: Licht-Kunst-Licht
Project Year: 2010
Project Name: Zoo/Flora Rail Station
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