REFERENCES

Daily traffic of up to 500 trains a day make Dresden Central Station not only the third-busiest station in eastern Germany, but also Dresden’s largest transport hub and a key element of the Saxon capital’s infrastructure. The overall refurbishment and redesign of the station was divided into the following subprojects: Elevated platforms (North & South), platform canopy and station building.

In 1997 Deutsche Bahn commissioned Foster and Partners to draw up a master plan for the refurbishment and expansion of Dresden Central Station. The plan was part of a wider municipal project designed to revitalise the surrounding area. The starting point of this retrofit project was to strip away the miscellaneous additions and alterations that had been made to the building over the previous sixty years in order to restore the integrity and clarity of the original design. The station’s elaborate wrought iron structure was restored and covered in a taut skin of Teflon-coated, glass-fibre fabric installed on a retrofitted steel structure. New glass skylights set at right angles to the tracks create a line of sight to outside areas, can be used for ventilation purposes and combine with the translucent roof to create a light, friendly atmosphere within the station.

The package of services required in connection with the North Hall included the refurbishment of the King’s Pavilion, which originally served as a separate entrance for the royal family. The refurbishment of both this element and the façade was subject to strict preservation orders. In addition to the creation of a complex emergency exit and rescue route concept, the planning process also involved the integration of new building services into existing technical systems.