Reconstruction of the Station Building

Year2023

CategoryInterior, Transport

LocationČeské Budějovice

StatusCompleted

The comprehensive reconstruction of the listed České Budějovice railway station of 1908 presented us with the challenge of bringing Gustav Kulhavý's monumental Neo-Renaissance architecture into the 21st century. Through our design of the public spaces, we are restoring the original grandeur, clarity and spatial logic of this iconic building without compromising on high standards of contemporary comfort and passenger needs. In close collaboration with heritage conservationists, we are uncovering the building's historic qualities, clearing the interior of visual clutter and sensitively restoring the surviving artworks, including the listed mosaics.

The key urban and architectural intervention is the creation of a new shopping arcade on the north side, which connects the station building directly with Lannova třída. In doing so, we free the station from barriers and turn it into an open, multifunctional gateway to the city that grows naturally into the historic centre. We are making the departure and arrival halls more pleasant, bringing more light into the waiting areas and designing a unified visual detail which, through the same materials and colour scheme of the furniture, flows from the prestigious interior into the newly landscaped, tree-lined station forecourt.

Client	Správa železnice
Client for the station forecourt	Správa železnic, Statutory City of České Budějovice
Design team	Martin Krupauer Richard Válek Hana Chalupská Petr Hornát
Co-authors	METROPROJEKT Praha, SAGASTA
Contractor	Metrostav a.s. + AVERS spol. s.r.o. + Edikt a.s

Memory of the Place

In designing the public spaces of this historic building of 1908, we build on architectural clarity and a return to the original, simple colour scheme. We are radically clearing the interiors of haphazard later additions, layers of visual clutter and fragmented commercial elements. With deep respect for the historic heritage, we are expertly restoring the precious wall mosaics by the artists Boukal and Březina, which once again become the dignified focal point of the halls. We do not copy the legacy of history, but distil it to its essence, so that the historic fabric can regain its majestic, spacious character.

An Axis to the Heart of the City

A fundamental impulse for transforming how the entire area functions is cutting a new arcade through the building. We connect the north entrance and the main concourse with a generous new passage, creating a direct pedestrian link to Lannova třída – the main boulevard leading into the very centre of České Budějovice. We are turning a formerly isolated transport hub into a lively covered city street, where transit flows seamlessly into shops, cafés and related services.

Unified Detail

The contemporary layer is represented by a carefully considered information and wayfinding system and unified detailing of the finishing elements. We conceive the interior fittings, modern ticket offices, rest areas and outdoor furniture in a consistent language of materials and colours. The neat, light-filled interior thus flows, step-free and symbolically, into the public space in front of the building, which we complement with a regular grid of trees and elements that invite people to linger. We are creating a welcoming environment in which waiting for a train becomes a pleasant urban experience.