Main Station, Stuttgart, Germany
International competition 1997, 1st prize
Execution 2009–2021
Client Deutsche Bahn AG, Stuttgart
GFA 185,000 m²
"Zero-Energy Railway Station"
Awards
International Architecture Award 2007, Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design; Global Holcim Award Gold for Sustainable Construction 2006; MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Award 2005, Best of Show and Big Urban Projects; Regional Holcim Award Silver for Sustainable Construction 2005; BE Bentley Empowered Award 2004, nominated
The "Stuttgart 21" project involves the construction of new tracks up to 12 m below the current track network, retaining the existing station building, which was designed by Paul Bonatz and Friedrich Eugen Scholer in 1922 and which is listed as a historic monument. The train station forms the core of the continuing urban development as well as the interface between the old and new centers of the city. It provides Stuttgart with a closer connection to Europe and, in addition, creates a new city center because the Schlossgarten—Stuttgart’s green heart and most important public park—will be extended above the new station, creating an extended landscape area of about 42,000 m2. The new underground station appeals with its brightness and visual openness, which is esthetically pleasing and enhances safety. By making intelligent use of natural energies and resources it is possible to avoid CO2 emissions.