The document discusses several iconic European railway stations that have been renovated or rebuilt to integrate large retail centers. It describes the Berlin Hauptbahnhof station, which has 44,000 sqm of commercial space and sees 300,000 passengers daily. It also outlines projects underway in Vienna that will create new transit hubs with over 1 million sqm of total space and 20,000 sqm of retail. Additionally, it discusses the striking architecture of the Liège-Guillemins station designed by Santiago Calatrava that has established a new gateway for the city.

1. EDITORIAL

2. Retail &
Railways
For people on the move – whether traveling to and from work, school,
social obligations or leisure – having an extensive retail offer located within
transportation hubs is the ultimate convenience. The interconnectivity of the
European rail system, along with the arrival of high-speed trains, continues
to shorten the time and distance between stations, providing travelers with
more opportunities to browse between their connections. Often located in
the heart of a city, retail centers in railway stations are bringing together
people, products and places in a vibrant, active atmosphere. As the number
of people using public transportation continues to grow alongside Europe’s
50% urbanization rate and the rising role of eco-consciousness, the
important link between retail and railways has not been lost on retailers,
developers or architects. Increasingly, some well-positioned railway stations
are becoming shopping destinations in themselves.
By Connie Moser, Senior Editor REP
Leipzig
Haupt­
bahnhof
Germany
Berlin
Haupt­
bahnhof
Germany
Vienna
Central
Station
Austria
Katawice
Central
Station
Poland
London
St. Pancras
International
United
Kingdom
Liège-
Guillemins
TGV
Belgium
Rotterdam
Central
Station
The Netherlands
I co n ic architect u re i n the 2 1 st ce n t u ry
< Berlin Hauptbahhof, with five levels to enjoy.
Photo:photolibrary
Iconic Railway Stations encourage shopping in transit
EDITORIAL
RETAIL SPACE EUROPE 2011 57

3. L
ocated on the site of the
historic Lehrter Bahnhof,
Berlin Central Station, or
Berlin Hauptbahnhof, is the
city’s main railway station. The
five-level glass station opened on
May 26, 2006, after 12 years of
planning and construction. It is
now Europe’s largest railway
station. The station and the
project were developed with
hopes of revitalizing an area that
has been stifled by the political
division of the city.
The site for the new Berlin
Central Station was not heavily
populated and yet still close to
the center of Berlin and govern-
ment buildings.
A design competition for the
project was held in 1993, and
was won by the Hamburg archi-
tecture firm of Gerkan, Marg and
Partners.
The Berlin Central Station is
basically a train station inte-
grated into a shopping center.
The main concourse provides
roughly 44,000 m² of commer-
cial space, as well as all relevant
facilities needed for a convenient
travel (information points,
luggage lockers and lounges).
The station sees over 1,600 train
departures daily, good for the
retail shops which profit from
300,000 travelers who pass
through each day. It not only
benefits the traveler, where
shops, restaurants and facilities
have extended opening hours
from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.,
but the local Berliners are also
awarded with extended shopping
opportunities, long after most
other retailers in Germany have
closed. The Central Station
boasts some of the most spectac-
ular views. As you enter into the
front entrance the gigantic, airy
hall immediately sets your eyes
on the sites of four layers of
trains crossing each other one on
top of the next, with a multitude
of people in between, shopping,
strolling, and riding in the glass
elevators.
Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof takes the form of a train station integrated in to a large-scale shopping center.
B e r l i n H a u p t b a h n h o f , G e r m a n y
Photo:LetherBahnhofBerlin
EDITORIAL
RETAIL SPACE EUROPE 201158

4. L
eipzig Hauptbahnh
(translated as Leipzig
Central Station) is one of
Germany’s finest railway termi-
nals. With 83,460 m² it’s
Europe’s largest station when
measured by floor area. The
station opened in 1915 as an
important junction between
north-to-south and west-to-east
German railway lines. Today it
has 24 platforms which cater to
an average of 150,000 passen-
gers per day and a total of 54
million passengers per year.
The station underwent a massive
refurbishment and modernization
between 1995 and 1999; it is
now a completely modern hub
offering excellent connections as
well as housing the
Hauptbahnhof-Promenaden, one
of the most modern shopping
and service centers in Germany.
The center covers about 30,000
m² on three levels with about
140 shops. The station also has
direct access facilities for cars
with two multi-story car parks –
Car park East and West.
The station’s most distinguishing
feature is its multi-level con-
course with towering stone
arches and a 293 meter long
façade. During World War II,
bombings led to the roof of the
concourse collapsing but it was
restored to its original appear-
ance in the 1950s. The concourse
floor was removed and two base-
ment levels were dug out to
create a shopping mall. Other
areas of the building were largely
restored, but also modernized at
the time. With its long-distance
connections, its IntercityExpress,
Intercity, EuroCity, CityNight­
Line and DB NachtZug connec-
tions, the Station boasts reliable
rapid links in all directions. >> The Hauptbahnhof concourse at Leipzig station offers three shopping levels.
Photo:ECE
L e i p z i g H a u p t b a h n h o f , G e r m a n y
EDITORIAL
RETAIL SPACE EUROPE 2011 59

5. million m² of gross floor space.
This railway station conversion
and city development in the
South of Vienna (former Süd-
and Ostbahnhof) started in 2010,
with a development area of 23.9
ha and a building area of 14.1 ha.
The project, by ÖBB
Baumanagement and private
investors, has a total investment
of €900 million, and for the
center alone, €148 million. This
is the greatest infrastructure
project running in Vienna for the
next years. It will comprise a
20,000-m² retail space (managed
by ECE), 115 shops, office
space, commerce, business
space, business establishments
and finally, approximately 5,500
residential dwellings. Opening is
scheduled for autumn 2014.
U
nder large, new develop-
ment are two new
railway stations in
Vienna. BahnhofCity Wien West
is a conversion of the former
Westbahnhof, an investment of
ÖBB Baumanagement (Investor
of Westbahnhof and
Hauptbahnhof is ÖBB) of
approximately €130 million.
The project includes 21,500 m²
of retail space (managed by
ECE) with 90 shops, 13,000 m²
of office space and another
24,000 m² for a hotel. The
project started in 2009 with
completion scheduled for
autumn 2011.
Even larger is BahnhofCity Wien
Hauptbahnhof which will
become the core of a new quarter
of Vienna with a total of 1
Vienna’s new BahnhofCity Wien West will have 25,000 m² of retail space included within the building’s program.
The station design from above.
Photo:ECE
Photo:ECE
V i e n n a C e n t r a l S tat i o n , A u s t ri a
EDITORIAL
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6. T
he new Katowice Station
is located at Wilhelma
Szewczyka square in the
center of Katowice, Poland, adja-
cent to a bus station. Planned
modernization of the railway
station includes the construction
of a complex comprising a
railway station, bus station, retail
and service center as well as a
business and cultural center.
The project supposes a shopping
center in front of the station
building which will hide the bus
station.
The futurist shape of Galeria
Katowicka will be created by
gentle curves of the facade made
of perforated steel. In daytime, it
will be reflecting the light. After
dusk, the facade will turn into a
translucent surface making the
interiors and its lights visible
from the outside. The Aleja
Mody (Fashion Boulevard) will
connect the new building of the
Railway Station and Galeria
Katowicka.
The glazed construction connect-
ing both buildings will be the
source of natural light. It will
highlight the cup-shaped pillars
determining unprecedented shop
windows 9 meters in height. The
total area of the center will be
53,000 m² spread out over five
stories. In addition, it will offer a
two-story underground car park
for 1,200 vehicles. The €240
million investment will be real-
ized in phases, with the first one
to be the completion of a new
railway station building. The
multi-functional center will be
developed in two stages. The
planned opening of the center is
scheduled for Q4 2012. The
delivery of a stand-alone office
building is projected for Q4
2013. The investor and devel-
oper of the shopping gallery is
Spanish Neinver Sp. z o.o., a
partner of PKP S.A. in the
project. The railway station
design was created with SUD
Architectes Polska. >>
Katowice Station’s futuristic center, by Sud Architectes Polska, will connect 53,000 m² of retail with the railway.
The center’s sustainable rooftop.
Photo:Neiver
Photo:Neiver
K at o w i c e S tat i o n , P o l a n d
EDITORIAL
RETAIL SPACE EUROPE 2011 61

7. K
ing’s Cross St. Pancras
interchange zone is the
UK’s busiest transport
interchange hub with over 45
million people passing through
the interchange zone every year.
Interchange occurs between
London Underground, main line
and international rail, and bus
services, providing easy access to
the city center area. St. Pancras
International Station is one of the
biggest landmarks in London and
serves as a gateway to Europe.
The station reopened in 2007
after completion of an £800
million redevelopment, which
restored the station to its
Victorian-era glory and added
plenty of retail and various hos-
pitality areas.
The design for the original St.
Pancras Station was developed
which are 455 meters long and
are used by Eurostar. Since the
redevelopment, the station has
been divided into four retail
and meeting zones:
Rendezvous, Circle, Arcade
and Market. Rendezvous is the
upper concourse of the station,
featuring Europe’s longest
champagne bar. Circle is a
retail zone featuring a range of
fashion and food outlets. The
Arcade includes several bou-
tique retailers and the Market
is a daily farmer’s market
located near the main entrance.
The open, bright design,
general cleanliness and high-
end retail outlets of St. Pancras
International create a positive
sense of arrival for passengers,
and the station is now a desti-
nation in its own right.
by William Barlow in 1863. The
design for the 2001 redevelop-
ment was undertaken by Sir
Norman Foster and later modi-
fied by Rail Link Engineering’s
chief architect Alistair Lansley.
A consortium of EMCOR Group,
Costain, O’Rourke and Bachy
Soletanche was awarded the con-
tract to carry out the redevelop-
ment work on the station.
The key feature of William
Barlow’s design is the Barlow
train shed, which is considered
to be one of the largest enclosed
spaces in the world. The roof is
689 ft long and 100 ft high with
arches spanning 240 ft. As part
of the redevelopment plan, the
Barlow train shed was extended
by 200 meters to accommodate
domestic rail services. The new
station has 13 platforms, six of
The combination of Victorian elegance and modern design makes the St. Pancras a popular retail destination.
Photo:photolibraryw
S t . P a n c r a s I n t e r n at i o n a l , L o n d o n , U K
EDITORIAL
RETAIL SPACE EUROPE 201162

8. Calatrava’s railway station creates a monumental new gateway to Liège and offers a look at 21st-century transit.
T
hirteen years in the
making, and three years
after topping off, the new
high-speed rail station at Liège-
Guillemins TGV is billed as the
‘epicenter of the North European
High Speed Network’. With less
than 200,000 occupants in Liège,
the station is set to provide a new
pulse for the former industrial
city, acting as the first part of a
planned architectural vision for a
corporate center in Belgium and
the launch of Liège’s renewal, to
include more retail and other
facilities adjacent to the station,
encouraging commuters to shop.
This stunning new €300 million
high-speed rail station will serve
to further connect Northern
Europe’s rail lines. Designed by
eminent Spanish architect
Santiago Calatrava, the Liège-
Guillemins TGV railway is a
beautiful glass and steel con-
struction that is distinguished by
its transparent exterior and its
elegant transition between the
city and the station.
Calatrava was first commis-
sioned to design the new Liège-
Guillemins Station in 1996, and
was tasked with the seemingly
impossible duty of replacing the
existing station without disturb-
ing the ongoing train services
and daily passage of 36,000
people.
The results of his efforts are a
cathedral for passage throughout
Europe. The vast glass roof
encases exposed working plat-
forms and the dynamism of the
moving ensemble of passengers
and trains, asserting the urbanity
and bustle represented within the
high-speed network. The archi-
tect’s vision of a building
without facades adds to this
energy. Commuters can now
travel to Aachen, Cologne and
Brussels, as well as to Frankfurt,
Paris, London and the Southern
portions of Europe at a modern
pace through this monumental
gateway.
“It was my goal to create a
21st-century transportation facil-
ity that would not only unite
Liège with the rest of Europe,
but would also serve as a symbol
of the city’s renewal,” said
Calatrava. “The project, as a
whole, creates a new gateway
into Liège and re-establishes a
relationship with the city.”
L i è g e - G u i l l e m i n s ; TG V, B e l g i u mPhoto:Hollandsehoogte
>>
EDITORIAL
RETAIL SPACE EUROPE 2011 63

9. R
otterdam will get an
attractive, dynamic and
functional new Central
Station, which will be re-
anchored in the city center and
integrated in the European
network of transport hubs
created by the arrival of the high
speed rail system (HSL). By
2025 the daily number of passen-
gers will increase to 320,000 per
day so a Grand Station of inter-
national standing is required.
In the design, a cooperation by
Benthem Crouwel Architekten/
West 8 Urban Design & land-
scape architecture/Meyer & Van
Schooten Architecten, the city is
drawn to the new station with its
Central Station, Rotterdam, Netherlands
small-scale urban setting, so that
railway zone and city become a
single entity. The finer texture
with its new sight lines and the
mix of living and working will
greatly improve the social
climate of this zone. On entering
the tall light-filled station con-
course, travelers have an overall
view and see at once where the
trains are. The sunken and
widened passage beneath the
tracks is a natural continuation of
the concourse. Platforms have a
largely transparent roof some
250 meters long spanning the
entire track zone.
Developed by Ontwikkelings­
Bedrijf Rotterdam, the center
will offer 20,000 m² of retail
GLA and a number of interna-
tional brands will be present. The
entrance on Spoorsingel is a
modest one in keeping with the
low-key residential area and the
smaller passenger flow.
In stark contrast, the tall glass
and timber concourse on the city
side is clearly the main gateway
to the metropolitan city center.
The new building’s shape
expresses the internal logistics of
this transport hub. Marking the
onset of Rotterdam’s ‘cultural
axis’, the new Grand Central
Station points the way to the
city’s heart. Completion is
planned for 2012.
By 2025 Rotterdam’s Central Station will have 320,000 passengers daily and 20,000 m² of retail space.
Photo:rotterdamcentral/nspoort
<<
RETAIL SPACE EUROPE 201164

10. Whereas years ago shopping at
railway stations was of no inter-
est, the current numbers of shops
underline the change of their
mono-functional transport func-
tion. In Europe, railways have
focused considerably on custom-
ers’ expectations, particularly
with regard to aesthetic and
functional station spaces.
Railway stations are important
public buildings, which besides
giving access to trains, perform a
variety of functions: meeting
places, shopping centers and
very often becoming iconic
urban landmarks. Given the
availability of high-speed lines
and convenient locations, rail
travel is becoming preferable to
long waits and delays at airports.
Railway stations also offer vast
opportunities for retailers, not
only attracting travelling passen-
gers, but also local shoppers who
may not have had time to shop
during working hours.
These iconic stations are impor-
tant to the regional economy and
dependent on passenger flows,
but also take into consideration
good car accessibility and
parking as well as connections
with public transport. They
support restaurants, snack bars,
cafés, restaurants, and mini-
supermarkets with carefully
selected ‘grab-and-go’ items all
catering to eating on the run. This
shortens the waiting time for pas-
sengers. Footfall is also enhanced
by regular attractive offers,
special events, art fairs, etc.
A particularly successful scheme
built around a railway station is
Príncipe Pío in Madrid, Spain.
This 33,000-m² scheme boasts
an impressive retail mix of 110
domestic and international retail
units, as well as a 9-screen mul-
tiplex. Shops are offered at the
Railway Station Gare do Oriente
in Lisbon, Portugal, as well as
at the nearby shopping center
Vasco da Gama, which has
164 shops directly accessible
from the station. Little turnover
in tenants indicates that stations
provide an economically favor-
able location for retail sales. In
Italy, Grandi Stazioni has 13 sta-
tions in the process of being
upgraded and in the Netherlands,
NS Poort is completely refur-
bishing seven stations. Many
more railway stations across
Europe are likely to follow suit
in the years to come.
Iconic stations
Gare do Oriente’s Station shopping concourse, offering a multi-level retail experience with natural sunlight.
ONLINE: www.retailspace-europe.com/architecture
Photo:hollandsehoogte
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