Railways in the Urban Context an architectural discourse Roberto Cavallo Railways in the Urban Context Railways in the Urban Context an architectural discourse Proefschrift Ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Technische Universiteit Delft, op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof. dr. ir. J. T. Fokkema, voorzitter van het College voor Promoties, in het openbaar te verdedigen op vrijdag 30 mei 2008 om 12.30 uur door Robertino CAVALLO laurea di dottore in Architettura Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (Italië) geboren te Salerno (Italië) Dit proefschrift is goedgekeurd door de promotoren: Prof. ir. L. van Duin Prof. ir. S.U. Barbieri Samenstelling promotiecommissie: Rector Magnificus, voorzitter Prof. ir. L. van Duin, Technische Universiteit Delft, promotor Prof. ir. S.U. Barbieri, Technische Universiteit Delft, promotor Prof. ir. H.C. Bekkering, Technische Universiteit Delft Prof. ir. M. Riedijk, Technische Universiteit Delft Prof. arch. A. Ferlenga, Facoltà di Architettura IUAV Venetië (Italië) Prof. arq. G. Ruiz Cabrero, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura Madrid (Spanje) ir. N. de Vries, MVRDV Architecten en Spoorbouwmeester, adviseur ISBN: 978 90 5269 361 3 Copyright © 2008 Roberto Cavallo All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner what so ever without permission in writing from the Publisher and the copyright holder. COVER: Railway Station - Masterpieces of Architecture, Charles Sheppard, Bracken Books Singapore 1996, p.24-25 VI Contents Preface VII Part 1 – Research background 2 Introduction 3 Object of study and research structure 6 Research method and consulted sources 9 Existing field of research 10 Other PhD theses at the TU Delft 14 Specification of terms and theoretical framework 16 Research hypotheses 19 Motivations 20 Part 2 – The railroads in the Dutch City 22 Introduction 23 The low lands: territory and transport until the first decades of the nineteenth century 26 The first railways and the shaping of the Randstad 30 Dutch railway companies and stations 39 The twentieth century and the Dutch railroads 48 Contemporary developments: High Speed Rail and the Randstad 55 Part 3 – Entangled with the city: the metropolitan railways 62 Introduction 63 Railways and expanding modern cities: the work of Otto Wagner 67 Personal fascination: the Stadtbahn of Vienna 69 Awaiting metropolitan railways: the Dutch project 79 Under construction: North-South, a new metropolitan line in Amsterdam 88 Metropolitan railway stations in Amsterdam: dug in Architecture 92 Part 4 – Multi functional terminal or monument: the case of Amsterdam Central Station 104 Introduction 105 The railway and the urban setting of Amsterdam Central Station 106 The Cuypers project 108 The present intervention: ‘Stationeiland’ 128 VII CONTENTS Part 5 – Railway areas in the Dutch City: architectural interventions in the margins 128 Introduction 129 The eastern harbour area of Amsterdam and the railway zone 130 Theoretical framework and master plan 137 Design projects 143 Part 6 – The ‘5 x 5 projects for the Dutch City’: the case of Haarlem 152 Introduction 153 Haarlem and the construction of the first Dutch railroad 155 Railways and the nineteenth century development of Haarlem 163 The railway zone and the expansion of Haarlem in the twentieth century 166 The current situation: framework for interventions 176 Part 7 – Conclusions 182 Final considerations 183 Railway and city: projects for the Randstad 185 Proposals for further research 193 Bibliography 197 Image credits 203 Nederlandse samenvatting 211 About the author 215 VIII Preface This research is the result of the work carried out at the Faculty of Architecture of the Delft University of Technology in the past four years. Theme and development of this thesis were conceived in the framework of the research programme ‘Urban Architecture’. As a member of the research team ‘Urban Architecture’, I’ve been involved during the last four years in several activities connected with the main theme of this work. Therefore, at the moment I’m writing this preface, part of the content of this research has already been published in the form of papers for international congresses, articles for professional magazines and journals and in the book series OverHolland. Moreover part of the material contained in this research is also used in lectures given to students and professionals. Many people are involved in different ways with the making of this thesis. First of all I would like to thank my tutors, Leen van Duin and Umberto Barbieri. The realization of this project would have been impossible without their support, encouragement and trust. In addition, I’m grateful to Leen for his great confidence in my work. I would like to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to Umberto for the way he tutored me throughout this research and for his open minded way of guiding me professionally and intellectually in the last fifteen years. I owe special thanks to my colleague Dirk Zuiderveld for his great help in editing my texts. My thank goes also to Filip Geerts for his interest on this research. Filip wrote, together with Umberto Barbieri and me, an article about the Noord/Zuidlijn, the new underground railway line in Amsterdam. For their help and suggestions also I’m grateful to my colleagues Henk Engel and François Claessens. They IX PREFACE both contributed to sharpen the structure of this research. Next to them I would like to thank all the members of the research group ‘Urban Architecture’ and particularly Willemijn Wilms Floet, Esther Gramsbergen, Otto Diesfeldt, Iskandar Pané and Olivier van der Bogt. My gratitude goes also to all students who worked with me in the past four years and who shared the interest in this research topic. In this respect I’m particular thankful to Jeroen Homan, Martin Elslo, David Philipsen and Leander Moons who, with their work, contributed to the way I’ve approached the topic of my research. In addition I owe special thanks to Ilmar Hurkxkens for his help in lay-outing the final version of this thesis. Finally I have no words to thank my wife Karin for her unconditioned and constant involvement in my research project. She knows as no other how difficult it has been for me managing work and family in the last years. Her patient support and understanding helped me through all the difficulties I encountered along the way. X 1 MARIO Sironi, Paesaggio Urbano CON fabbrica E cavalcavia, 1922-1923, 75X75CM PART 1 2 Research background Introduction In the preface of his book ‘The impact of railways on Victorian cities’ John Kellet singles out the railways as one of the most important factors influencing the British city on different levels: ‘ …it was the influence of the railways, more than any other single agency, which gave the Victorian city its compact shape, which influenced the topography and character of its central and inner districts, the disposition of its dilapidated and waste areas, and of its suburbs, the direction and the character of its growth; and which probably acted as the most potent new factor upon the urban land market in the nineteenth century’1. Wolfgang Schivelbusch considers the assertion formulated by Kellet, result of his investigation on the British city, valid and extendable to other West and Central European countries2. Nobody could predict that, next to its role of means of transportation, the railroad would be able to influence the development and the growth of the city. Therefore it is not a coincidence that the industrial revolution, the growth of the European city and the realization of railways all belong to the process of urbanization typical of the XIXth century. This period is fundamental in the development of the modern European city, at least for the ones in western and central Europe. Nowadays, in the XXIth century, the dynamic of urbanisation requires 1 J.R. Kellet, The impact of railways on the implementation of efficient public transportation systems and the Victorian cities, preface p. xv. transformation of existing ones. Like 150 years ago, the discussion 2 about the traffic flows creates an interesting perspective when dealing W. Schivelbusch, The railway with the future of the city. Designing an infrastructure is often an journey, p. 178. 3 RAILWAYS IN THE URBAN CONTEXT occasion to propose a project for the transformation of the city. When it comes to railroads, this debate is very much alive all around Europe, particularly if we look at the number of competitions and projects for the accommodation of high-speed railway lines. In this framework the leitmotiv of my research is looking at the railway in relation to the city, approaching the topic from an architectural point of view. I personally think that the realization of railways, especially in the city, must be considered as an important theme of architecture. The railways as well as the streets are the ordering elements of the city, the elements ensuring the relationship between its parts and their mutual connections3. Therefore the construction of railways and their physical presence in the city have further influence 3 on the developments of the surroundings. In addition, the realization A. Monestiroli in L’arte di costruire of railways in the city involves the construction of several buildings la città, lecture hold at the DO.CO. all together forming the railway yard. Stations as well as viaducts, MO.MO conference in Barcelona bridges, crossovers and even underground terminals, are all interesting (1994), published in Progetto del buildings interrelated with the city. territorio urbano (by C. Macchi Cassia, Milan 1998), explains History tells us that the construction of infrastructures and how important is the making of particularly of railroads does not belong to the primary task of road and railway infrastructures architects. The engineer, who is also entitled to design railway buildings, in the modern city.