Both of them are architects – although they did not design this station – and have been involved in Zuidasdok on behalf of Bureau Spoorbouwmeester for years.
No-fuss design
If you ask two architects about Amsterdam Zuid station, the conversation quickly turns to what makes this station unique. Stations tend to face toward the city and have bicycle parking, installations and loading and unloading areas at the rear. Amsterdam Zuid station is different: it has no front or rear. ‘In many cities, such as Rotterdam or Arnhem, the station building is a ‘grandiose gesture’, says Marianne Loof, who was Spoorbouwmeester and a member of the Quality Team until 1 January. Bureau Spoorbouwmeester is made up of a small team who provide ProRail and NS with independent advice on the design of the railway and stations in the Netherlands. Loof and her colleague Miguel Loos have been involved in the Zuidasdok project for a long time.
City backdrop
In terms of passenger numbers, Amsterdam Zuid station is one of the Netherlands’ largest stations. But, despite this, the new station will not be an impressive building. Why not? ‘You have a fantastic city backdrop here, so the form of the station can remain relatively modest’, says Loof. Miguel Loos: ‘The decision was made to opt for a no-fuss design. This station will improve the link between the city to the north and south of the railway. It is located in a green corridor between the Nieuwe Meer lake and the river Amstel. That quality of the green connection and the presence of the city skyline justify the choice of a simpler station. What makes it attractive is the ample dimensions of all of its parts, the quality of the finishing and the extraordinary surroundings’.
Most metropolitan part of the city
Not everybody agrees with this vision. Plenty of passengers and others wonder why the station will be so modest in form compared to all of the prize-winning architecture around it. But therein lies the answer. ‘The station cannot be seen as separate from its surroundings’, says Loof. ‘Take the international station at London St Pancras. You arrive in a massive shopping centre and step into London via a side entrance. Amsterdam Zuid will also be an international railway station. But you will arrive among wide green boulevards against a backdrop of the most metropolitan city area in the Netherlands. In a few years’ time, visitors from Berlin, Hamburg, London and Paris will arrive at Amsterdam Zuid and this metropolitan zone will be their first impression of Amsterdam. The new station will show respect for the architecture around it.’
Amsterdam Zuid station is the last in a series of large-scale station upgrades in the Netherlands, of which Rotterdam Central was the first (part of the New Flagship Projects/Nieuwe Sleutelprojecten). In the new station, the existing Minervapassage has been widened to create a city arcade featuring shops, food outlets and bicycle parking. The second, slightly narrower Brittenpassage, will have similar amenities. Both passageways will lead directly to the new tram stops on the south side and the bus station on the north side. A covered pedestrian area with commercial amenities connects the passageways with the squares at the heart of Zuidas.
Motorway tunnel is essential
Although it may be easy to explain an attractive, modest station from an architectural perspective, what about passenger comfort? Does the design, with its high platform roofs, provide sufficient shelter? ‘The platform roofs provide less shelter than a complete covering would do, but they meet all current requirements and, if all goes well, you won’t have to wait on a platform for very long’, says Loof with a smile. ‘Currently, you still have to wait amid all the noise and next to the motorway. In the years ahead, the widened motorway will disappear into a tunnel. Then you will be standing on the platform next to green space, with a fantastic city backdrop behind you. That’s pretty unique.’ The A10 Zuid not only forms a solid barrier through the city, the motorway also causes noise nuisance. Loos: ‘Thanks to the tunnel, there’s no need for tall noise barriers next to the platforms and instead of the road, there’ll be attractive squares where passengers can easily change onto a bus or tram.’
Sudden downpours and heat
Finally, we move to a subject close to the Spoorbouwmeester’s heart that is gaining increasing attention in the railway world: climate adaptation. ‘As a result of climate change, heat stress and flooding are becoming more frequent. Space is at a premium in Zuidas. That includes space for climate-adaptive measures. In the event of sudden downpours, the water has nowhere to go because of underground car tunnels and station passageways and the other paved areas used by local public transport close to the station’. This is why the car tunnel will feature a retention roof: lots of underground crates connected together that collect rainwater whenever the drains can no longer handle it. These crates gradually direct the water to the canal around the Buitenveldert cemetery. There will also be planting on the platform roofs and on both sides of the station. Loof: ‘Green areas are not only attractive. We really do need them in order to partially offset climate change in the built-up surroundings of the station and compensate for the rise in temperature.
ProRail and NS have appointed urban design specialist and architect Daan Zandbelt to be the new Spoorbouwmeester. He took over from Marianne Loof on 1 January 2026.
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