Koenraad G. van der Gaast (1923-1993) Koenraad (Koen) van der Gaast joined the Dutch Railways (NS) in 1950 and became head of the architectural firm in 1953. His first designs involved simple, purposeful station buildings with an open character. Larger stations from this first period were Eindhoven (1956) and Venlo (1958), both with glass facades under a roof construction that invited the traveler to enter, so to speak. The Amsterdam Sloterdijk station (1956) and Almelo station (1962) were important designs on the way to a new concept: a station where all functions and spaces were brought together under one roof. This concept came to fruition at Tilburg Station (1965). The 1970s were lean years for station architecture. The stations designed by Van der Gaast became part of large-scale project development. Utrecht CS (1973) and Den Haag CS (1975) were the results of this new approach. The main objective was the optimal use of land and the integration of all forms of transportation. Openness, the inviting gesture to the traveler and the desire to establish a connection between city and rail were no longer applicable during this period. When more room was restored for the architect's personal ideas, Van der Gaast designed several more stations on which he clearly left his mark. Schiphol (1978), for example, received transparent walls and an unusual roof construction. Maassluis (1980) and Amsterdam RAI (1981) became two all-under-one-roof stations. Background and education Koenraad van der Gaast was born on August 10, 1923, in Utrecht, the only son of Wibbigje de Vries and Gosse van der Gaast. Wibbigje came from a large, musical family in Lemmer. Her father was co-founder of the local branch of the Social Democratic Workers Party (S.D.A.P.). Gosse was from a Frisian farming family. After attending vocational school, the MTS in Sneek and earning several practical diplomas, he completed a degree in architecture in Utrecht. He worked as an architectural supervisor at several companies in Drenthe, Groningen and Germany. Later he joined the municipality of Enschede. When Enschede's city architect, jhr. ir. A.H. Op ten Noort, entered the service of the municipality of Utrecht, Gosse van der Gaast became deputy master builder in Utrecht. In that position, he made designs for city bridges and public buildings. He was also the official secretary of the Beauty Commission. He also designed furniture, participated in competitions and won second prize in 1918 with his design for the city hall in Oslo. He maintained contacts with prominent architects, including H.P. Berlage, Gerrit Rietveld and S. van Ravesteyn. Gosse and Wibbigje were both members of the Vrijzinnig Hervormde church. Koen van der Gaast went to the municipal HBS after public elementary school and obtained the B diploma. In 1940 he began studying architecture at the Technical High School in Delft. This was a choice out of conviction: He had never wanted another profession or education. No doubt his father's work and conversations with his parents, both of whom felt that studying in Delft was important for his future, must have fueled his enthusiasm. In 1940, the architecture department was dominated by M.J. Granpré Molière, who emphasized traditionalist building and became the founder of the so-called "Delft school. Granpré Molière regarded modern movements as cold and uniform and therefore rejected them. Not just architecture, he rejected other aspects of the modern era. He feared the decline of Western culture. Himself converted to Catholicism, he saw salvation in a rock-solid faith. Medieval philosophy and social order were a source of inspiration to him. In them he found the certainty he was looking for: a hierarchical order, in which everything has its place. He also wanted to achieve such order and clarity in architecture. The purpose of a building had to be recognizable. The very connection to the building traditions of the past, with attention to the personal and to the traditional cultural property, offered security. Between 1943 and 1945, Van der Gaast had to interrupt his studies because of the war. Universities and colleges were closed for quite some time. However, he did remain in contact with some students. After the war, in December 1945, they founded a study group, which was named Semper Spatium ("always space"). Van der Gaast belonged to the core group, whose members included Henk Brouwer (chairman), Wim Wissing (vice-chairman), Rudi Bleeker, Rinus Gout, Goof Spruit and Jan Sterenberg. They did not oppose the expressions of the Delft School, but they wanted a broader approach to architecture and a mild form of change. Some professors also showed interest, including H. Rosse and H.T. Zwiers. The study group tried to influence education and polled architects for the expected new chairs. After the appointment in 1947 and 1948, respectively, of J.H. van den Broek and G.H.M. Holt as professors, two prominent functionalist architects, Semper Spatium was disbanded in 1952. Toward the end of his studies (1948), Van der Gaast completed a practical internship at Hans W. Moser's architectural office in Zurich. In 1949, he graduated with Van den Broek. His membership in Semper Spatium and choice of Van den Broek can be considered characteristic of the young architect's interest. The ideas of the Nieuwe Bouwen fitted well with his liberal Christian background with a social bias. Dutch architects he admired were H.P. Berlage, G. Rietveld and J.F. Berghoef, who also became a professor in Delft in 1947. His appreciation also extended to L. Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and the Finnish architect A. Aalto. In 1952, he married Sonja Bakker Schut. They settled in Utrecht. Sonja had a Baptist background and was a social geographer. In the first fifteen years of her marriage, she was politically and church-going. Later she did other volunteer work, including with institutions for youth and youth work, training work for working young people and community work. She was also active in peace groups. As a member of the Partij van de Arbeid, she served for many years on the divisional and regional boards, sixteen years on the Utrecht city council and eight years on the national party board. Politics played no role in Van der Gaast's life, because in his opinion there were too many compromises. As a civil servant, he considered an objective, unemotional approach appropriate for his career. He also had an idealistic view of life and a great sense of social responsibility. These elements were certainly reflected in the way he dealt with his employees and in the way he fulfilled his many social functions. Predecessors at Dutch Railways After graduating, Van der Gaast worked for several months at the architectural firm Koster in Zeist. This firm received commissions from the NS from time to time and was well aware of what was going on at NS headquarters. Both chief engineers, H.G.J. Schelling and S. van Ravesteyn, were approaching retirement age. Also on the program was a lot of new construction to replace war damage and old station and station buildings. When a structural engineer was in demand in 1950, Koster encouraged the young Van der Gaast to apply. He was hired and joined the NS. At the time, two design departments existed at the NS, one for the northern and one for the southern Netherlands. This division was due to the fact that the NS had only emerged in 1937 from a merger of the two last remaining railroad companies in the Netherlands: the MES (Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Spoorwegen) and the HIJSM (Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg Maatschappij). Both chief master builders, Van Ravesteyn in the south and Schelling in the north, had each left their mark on the stations they designed before and after World War II. Van Ravesteyn had graduated as a civil engineer from TH Delft and joined the MES in 1912. He initially had functionalist ideas, which were entirely in line with the innovations in architecture. He was attracted to the ideas of the Bauhaus group and preferred to use modern materials: steel, glass and concrete. In the first period, he designed beautiful functional service buildings and signal boxes, and a number of stations. After 1936, he developed a neo-Baroque style, inspired by several trips to Italy. Aesthetics became important, with curving lines, dashing round forms and lots of ornamentation. This stylistic conception was expressed, among other things, in the designs for the Kunstmin theater in Dordrecht (1938) and Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam (1941). At Utrecht Central Station (1939), baroque main forms were mixed with modern details and contemporary use of materials. Van Ravesteyn also designed stations in this baroque style after the war, responding to a sense of nostalgia for the opulent stations, some of which had been lost in the war. The best-known postwar stations by his hand are those of 's-Hertogenbosch (1952), Nijmegen (1954) and Rotterdam CS, in collaboration with J. Baas (1957). The latter station was more modern and tighter in line. Schelling had studied architecture at TH Delft and joined the HIJSM in 1913. His pre-war style was inspired by the brick construction of the Amsterdam School. His earliest stations are characterized by rectangular, austere, business-like forms, executed in brick. Sittard station (1923) was his first major structure, followed by Naarden-Bussum station (1925). Amsterdam Muiderpoort (1939) and Amsterdam Amstel (1939) stations are fine examples of modern station construction. Both stations have tall bright reception halls, due to the large amount of glass in the walls and end walls. The Amstel station in particular is a highlight of station architecture. Here Schelling tried to achieve integration of public and private transportation by leaving space for parking of line buses and cars. The stations he built after the war, including Zutphen (1952) and Arnhem (1954), bear witness to a much more austere style. Schelling applied a new concrete architecture of prefabricated elements and glass facades. There was scarcity and concrete elements were cheap building material when manufactured in large series. Consequently, these postwar stations always have the same module size. The raw concrete was not finished in any way. The glass walls extend far down to the ground to connect inside and outside. For the same purpose, Schelling applied projecting canopies supported by columns. The changing function of the station building Stations were designed for accommodation. Due to the limited number of trains and the few through trains, waiting times could be long. Waiting rooms and restaurants were therefore an important part of the station building. Small towns and villages had stations standardized by the railroad companies. Large cities had monumental and expensive buildings - such as the Central Station in Amsterdam (1889) - whose purpose was to attract passengers and provide them with a comfortable stay. The stations did not yet have a distinct shape of their own and were reminiscent of a museum, post office or hotel. Schelling and Van Ravesteyn also emphasized the accommodation of travelers. Precisely when Van der Gaast joined the NS, the station buildings became part of a new corporate vision, stemming from a change in the position of the Railways. The company had to compete with increasing automobile traffic. The growing number of passengers, including many commuters, could be accommodated by intensifying train runs. Waiting times were thus considerably shortened and this had the effect of changing the function of the station building. From a place to stay, the station became a place to pass through, and the station building had to be oriented towards fast and efficient transfer from one train to another and from one mode of transport to another. The station thus became a hub of traffic. A first step had already been taken by Schelling in his stations Amsterdam Amstel (1939) and Arnhem (1954). The first assignments The first assignments for Van der Gaast were modernizing a number of station halls in Hilversum (1951), Delft (1952) and Amersfoort (1952), making a platform roof in Zutphen (1954) and building two goods sheds in Vlissingen (1954) and Leeuwarden (1955). He also realized a number of halt buildings. These halt buildings are in the northern half of the Netherlands, from which it can be deduced that he worked at Schelling's office in the early years. It was the time of reconstruction, resources were scarce and at the same time many new buildings had to be erected. Van der Gaast designed the simple, functional halt buildings, which included only the necessary spaces, using austere means. Fitting in with the sometimes rural and sometimes urban surroundings and the location of the bus stop buildings led to a variety of forms and materials. Besides functionality, a playful element can also be detected in his designs. Not one roof is the same: a flat roof (Rheden), a large oval canopy (Arnhem Velperpoort), an umbrella roof (Hilversum Sportpark), an arched roof with small skylights (Haarlem north side), arched canopies (Hilversum east side) and a saddle roof (Zwaagwesteinde). The idea of movement and dynamism, fitting into the new vision of the NS, apart from the curved lines of the roofs, is already carefully expressed in light and open constructions and in the application of smooth, shiny materials. Striking are the special facilities for commuting, such as spacious bicycle racks. Travel became a daily activity for many people. The first stop building designed by Van der Gaast was that of Rheden (1952). The Arnhem-Zwolle line was electrified and the NS took the opportunity to renovate a number of halt buildings. Only the necessary spaces were accommodated in the halt building. The ticket offices and a luggage depot were accessible through an open vestibule. A covered bench on the track side replaced the waiting room. A large bicycle shed connected directly to the stop building. The unit became an austere oblong space, fitting into the rural setting through the use of natural materials, such as basalt boulders, yellow bling stone and clean masonry. The windows and doors were wooden and painted in fresh colors. Arnhem Velperpoort (1953) was the second stop building on the Arnhem-Zwolle line to be replaced. The stop building and platforms were raised five meters above street level. A partially free-floating staircase bridged this difference in height. The elevated stop was placed perpendicular to the railroad embankment and free in space. It is an elegant little building, one side supported on the railroad embankment, the other on two columns. The waiting area with counters has glass facades, around which runs a platform. The whole is covered by an overhanging oval, flat roof. The bus stop building has a reinforced concrete skeleton. The stairs and platform are finished with crystallite. The paintwork was multicolored. In Hilversum, the Hilversum Sportpark stop building (1952) was completed, which was then called Hilversum Soestdijkerstraatweg. The reason for the new building was the widening of the busy street road. The location of the new stop was limited. The use of a steel skeleton with steel windows created a light and slender building. Yellow blinding brick was used for the finish. Again, this was a stop for commuter traffic, which is why a very spacious bicycle shed was built on the other side of the street road. On the north side of the Haarlem station a new entrance building with place card office and an extra platform (1953) was built to improve access to the station for commuters from Haarlem-North. The entrance building consisted of concrete elements with a barrel vault as roof, fitted with small skylights of glazed stone. Van der Gaast would repeat the same process in Oldenzaal. From the newly built platform, the roof of the entrance building rose slightly, so that the entrance was clearly visible and made an inviting impression. This ascending roof was also repeated, first at the Hilversum stop building (east side) and later in Eindhoven. The newly designed platform was attached to the existing station as a longitudinal corridor. In contrast to the heavy concrete entrance building, the corridor was kept light with large windows, providing a nice view of the city. The Hilversum east side entrance building (1953) was also built as an additional entrance for the many commuters. It became a full-fledged station entrance with ticket sales and indoor bicycle storage. The elongated building is constructed of yellow glazed brick, enlivened by intervening dark horizontal strips. As in Haarlem, there is no waiting area; the hall gives immediate access to a passenger tunnel leading to the platform. Long shoot-through canopies running the length of the station form the roof. One of them, the tallest and longest, curves upward above the end façade. The large glass facade in this facade provides beautiful light. The small station building Zwaagwesteinde (1954) between Groningen and Leeuwarden differs from previous station buildings. It has a traditional form with a saddle roof and is built of brick. It does have large windows, giving it an open character, but modern forms and mostly modern materials are missing. It is as if the small building was not allowed to be an "alien" element in the rural environment and buildings. Saddle roof and use of brick are the last traces of traditionalism in Van der Gaast's station architecture. Architectural critics paid due attention to Van der Gaast's simple station buildings. The reactions were mostly positive. For example, the architect A. Staal (1953) praises the bright, spontaneous station Hilversum Sportpark and the buildings of Haarlem (north side). He expresses his enthusiasm for the bright corridor and the new and unique of the entrance hall. According to him, these works held the promise of a worthy continuation of the work of Van Ravesteyn and Schelling. B.B. Westerhuis (1954) was less enthusiastic about the entrance building Hilversum (east side). It did show competence, but showed too much "movement. In his opinion, a station should represent a resting point. Head of the architectural firm In 1953, Van der Gaast became head of the NS architectural office, succeeding Schelling and Van Ravesteyn. He determined the architectural face of the NS for many consecutive years from this point on. With a number of stations, including Eindhoven, Amsterdam Sloterdijk, Schiedam, Almelo and Tilburg, he brought Dutch station architecture to international attention. In his new position, he was charged with designing not only stations, but also utility buildings such as freight sheds, traffic control buildings and signal boxes. His duties also included supervising their implementation. Van der Gaast further collaborated on the design of a number of railroad bridges, including several over the great rivers. The bridge where his contribution to the design was the greatest was the lift bridge over the Oude Maas in Dordrecht (1970), which was consequently called "Koen's Butterfly. In the station designs, Van der Gaast tried to convey the postwar vision of the NS. Moreover, he aimed to make the buildings user-friendly for staff with practical and comfortable service areas. He took employees' suggestions into account and was willing to modify his designs. This attitude was new and contrary to the actions of both his predecessors. He was rather straightforward, but friendly and patient in his dealings. Above all, he wanted to deliver solid work and liked to advise young people well and help them along the way. With the increase in passenger and freight traffic from 1953 onward, the need for new stations and other utility buildings grew. Large-scale railroad work also prompted the construction of new stations. At the end of the 1950s, however, the NS' competitive position against passenger transport deteriorated. In addition, freight transport faced increasing competition from road transport and lost coal transport due to the closure of mines. From the early 1960s, therefore, cuts had to be made. Nevertheless, the construction of new stations remained necessary, especially in expansion areas and growth centers, because only in this way would rail travel remain attractive and possible for many people. In order to keep expenses down, small stations, often at new stops, were given a more or less standardized form. Eindhoven The Eindhoven station (1956) was Van der Gaast's first large station. The three viaducts west of the station (1953) and the station tunnel (1954) were still by Van Ravesteyn, but the contract for the station building was awarded to Van der Gaast. For years, the intersections of road and rail traffic in Eindhoven had been the subject of discussions. High rail, underpasses and a new station were considered necessary to put a permanent end to the traffic problems. The war and its effects on the city (the Allied bombings of 1944) led to an accelerated solution. An overall plan was designed for the center, including a railroad project and a new station. New construction had to meet the desire for travelers to transfer from one mode of transportation to another with a minimum loss of time. Competitiveness could be enhanced by integrating train traffic into the urban traffic circulation as much as possible. A spacious forecourt was therefore a requirement to provide sufficient space for other public and private transport. Because the station was part of Eindhoven's downtown development, the scale was adapted accordingly. In Van der Gaast's vision, the railroad station had to occupy a prominent place in relation to the other means of transport and at the same time fit in with the surrounding buildings. This urban planning aspect played an important role for him. Not the human scale was the starting point, but the urban space was the deciding factor in the dimensions. A second starting point was that the station marked a passage: entering and leaving the city, changing from one means of transport to another. It was not a dwelling space, but transit space. Openness was one means of expressing this dynamic character. Therefore, in Eindhoven, where the flow of transportation moves from south to north and vice versa, the south facade of the station exhibits great openness, while the east and west walls are mainly closed. Two thirds of the south facade consists of an aluminum glass facade under an arched roof. Behind this is the restaurant on the first floor, from which travelers can look out on the city. From the beginning, this "window" evoked associations with a radio or television set from Philips among the locals. The entrance to the station is somewhat hidden under the glass facade. On the west side is a tall clock tower which, as with other station buildings, simultaneously serves as a chimney. Tower and building form an elegant and striking whole. The reception building is essentially a large hall in which all facilities are housed in an orderly fashion. The walking routes have been kept as direct as possible. The almost completely closed north wall leads passengers as if by itself to the only passage: the passenger tunnel with a large window above it, in which there is a decoration of colored glass after a design by Lex Horn. The rather long tunnel, which first passes under a railroad track, leads passengers to the platforms and to the exit on the north side. Below the station building is a large bicycle shed. Venlo Venlo station (1958) can be compared to that of Eindhoven. It was the second large station designed by Van der Gaast, in collaboration with W.J. Drees. In Venlo, too, the inner city had been badly damaged by the war. During reconstruction, major improvements were made to the accessibility of the city and the station. A wider viaduct was built over the Roermond Gate and the railroad track was raised. The freight yard was placed on the raised track. In addition, a new service building, two signal boxes and a freight shed were erected, also designed by Van der Gaast. As the branch line towards Strälen (Germany) was removed, the opportunity arose to raise the new station several hundred meters closer to the city. Here there was also room for a forecourt. Van der Gaast wanted to make this station into something striking. As an important border station, it had to become an ornament for the city of Venlo and at the same time a calling card for the whole of the Netherlands. The station could be of quite a large size, because additional spaces were needed for customs. One problem was, that the station was quite far from the built-up edge of the city. To still make it stand out, Van der Gaast constructed it at the level of the elevated railroad track, making the station appear higher than it really was. In addition, next to the station he placed a clock tower. In front of it, he designed a wide platform with stairs leading to the entrance building. An appropriate stone sculpture group was placed on top of the platform: "The Travelers," a work by Piet Killaars. The station has a concrete substructure, upon which a steel skeleton was placed for the entrance building and platform covers. Below the reception building is a bicycle shed. By using smooth, colorfast and easy-to-clean materials, the station makes a fresh, bright and modern impression. A huge canopy, which is a continuation of the pent roof of the station hall, establishes a clear relationship between station and forecourt. The entrance building consists of a high, open middle section behind which the hall is situated, and slightly lower, closed side wings. Above the ticket office against the back wall of the hall are the offices, which are accessible via a balcony protruding into the hall. This gives this wall a strong horizontal accent. The square wall, on the other hand, has a vertical character due to the dark, canopy-bearing columns. This wall is made entirely of glass to keep the hall as open as possible with a view of the city. The restaurant forms one whole with the hall and was only separated from it by a glass wall. The station hall of Venlo is very similar to that of Eindhoven, but is even more open and inviting because of the large canopy and the more visible entrances and exits. The first new commuter station: Amsterdam Sloterdijk In Amsterdam-West, large urban expansions had already been projected before the war in the so-called Algemeen Uitbreidings Plan (AUP). After World War II, this plan was largely concretized by H.C. van Eesteren, who was attached to the Public Works Department. The western port area was to be expanded and large residential areas were to be built on the western side of the city. Growing employment at the Hoogovens and other plants would also create a lot of commuter traffic from these neighborhoods towards IJmuiden. Planners sought cooperation with the NS to build a bus stop in this western district. Amsterdam Sloterdijk (1956), a stop building for commuter traffic and for summer transport to Zandvoort, is a completely new stop building and can be seen as the first real commuter station. Sloterdijk was a favorable location because it was situated between Oud West and Nieuw West. Moreover, there was room to construct a forecourt large enough to serve as the terminus of several bus lines. Still, this was only a temporary solution. Included in the AUP was a shift of the railroad northward in view of the construction of the Hemspoortunnel under the North Sea Canal. The Sloterdijk station building was therefore demolished in the early 1980s. This was taken into account when the building plans were made. For example, the platforms were not underpinned to save costs. Amsterdam Sloterdijk was a striking station because of the unusual roof, which Van der Gaast applied. No platform roof to protect waiting passengers, but a covered, open entrance to the ticket office, bicycle storage and platforms. An enclosed hall, which would impede intensive commuter traffic, was missing. People walked under a high canopy that was purposely made higher than necessary to make the station visible from afar. A large, illuminated clock was suspended under the canopy. In the hall in front of the ticket office was a wall-filling mosaic designed by Elga Eymer of Amsterdam, depicting, among other things, the locomotive De Arend. The high roof and substantial lines and surfaces gave the building a dominant character. The materials - steel, copper, glass and glazed tiles - reflected the idea of functionality: transparent, practical and in keeping with the other means of transport. The new station caused a stir because of the completely new concept of the high roof, under which all facilities were gathered, and brought Van der Gaast international fame. Schelling (1959) expressed his admiration for the movable form of the canopy. He also emphasized the new element: not the counters were important, but the space, the openness and the unobstructed view. In the opinion of C. Douma (1998), the building, with a high glass canopy as an "umbrella," formed the prelude to many station buildings in later years. Its open and inviting character and smooth, sleek and easy-to-clean materials would also be much imitated. Other stations and station buildings, 1956-1962 Because each of Van der Gaast's stations was designed "individually," it is difficult to categorize some of them under one heading. Vlaardingen Oost, Oldenzaal, Hardinxveld-Giessendam and Zevenaar, however, share an important architectural similarity: a low, elongated reception building, capped by a flat concrete canopy. In detailing and finish, however, the stations are quite different. Vlaardingen Oost(1955) is located on an elevated railroad track. The reception building is located on the north side of the track. From the south side it can be reached through a tunnel that runs under the railroad. The reception building is low; the platform building is high on the track. From the tunnel, a stairway leads directly to the platform with the platform building, which is of interest to season ticket holders. To the right of the tunnel is the hall with ticket counter, to the left is a spacious bicycle storage, which is integrated into the reception building. It is an unpretentious, purposeful building and yet has some allure through panels of transparent glass building blocks in the facade and paintwork in bright and contrasting colors. A vertical element protrudes above both buildings: the elevator shaft above the platform building and a cubic skylight above the reception building. The flat roof is finished with prefabricated decorative elements. The station in Oldenzaal (1956) is extra long at 45 meters. It has large windows, making it more transparent than the one in Vlaardingen. The parapet is filled with yellow blinding brick. Again, the flat roof is finished with decorative concrete elements. The front canopy extends through the station roof into the canopy of part of the first platform. The vertical element, an eye-catcher for anyone approaching the station, is a seventeen-meter-high concrete bell tower in the shape of a hairpin. The entrance door is encased in a deep concrete frame, creating a kind of portal. A vault in which glass stones are inserted as small windows spans a bright hallway. Hardinxveld-Giessendam (1956) also has a flat roof with concrete trim. A wide boarding staircase leads to the station entrance. A concrete skeleton is constructed on a pile foundation with steel windows and a masonry infill consisting of gray-yellow glazed hand-formed brick. Like the Oldenzaal station, its large windows give it an open character. The parapet is clad in broken quartzite stone. The inner sides of the entrance portals are lined with mosaic tiles. The floor is also tiled. All the tiling has the same color scheme, from terra to off-white. Station Zevenaar (1962), designed with the collaboration of S.H. Krudde, was erected on existing foundations. The use of type and color of materials takes into account the rural environment. The building is capped by a flat canopy with a wide frame. The ticket office facade, made of aluminum, is angled to accentuate the walking direction to the train. The walls of the concourse are largely transparent to preserve a view of the platforms. The design is exceptionally simple. Moreover, the station is more austere than the previous three. It is thus characteristic of the austerity measures, which the NS had to implement from the early 1960s. Heemstede-Aerdenhout and Driebergen-Zeist are two very different stations. Consequently, the situations for which they were designed were very different. In Heemstede-Aerdenhout (1956), the level crossing of railroad and road had been removed by the construction of high level track. The station had to be located right next to the road. This difficult task was beautifully solved by Van der Gaast. He created the first viaduct station in the Netherlands, that is, a station that is accessible from both sides of the railroad, offers the same facilities on each side, and in which the platform accommodation is partly above a traffic road. At this station, the hall is located under the railroad track. The sound insulation of the hall presented a special task. It has become a kind of soundproof studio, separate from the abutment and from the viaduct, with separate foundations and its own walls and roof. On the east and west sides of the hall, stairs lead to each of the platforms on either side of the railroad tracks. The stairwells leading to the waiting rooms and the two platforms are contained in a kind of boxes that protrude above the entrance hall. The whole forms a tight, balanced composition, with - seen from the street side - the boxes in the middle and on both sides adjacent to them the platforms with their transparent windshields and canopies. In Driebergen-Zeist (1960) school the problem mainly in the poor accessibility of the station. A transportation hub the old station was certainly not. From the direction of Zeist, the station was only accessible via the level crossing and from Driebergen via a forecourt that was too small and difficult to access. An overall plan could change this: better accessibility from Zeist and Driebergen by the construction of spacious forecourts and a new station with access on both sides. Striking in the floor plan is the triangular shape of the entrance building on the Zeist side, allowing private transport to arrive in a logical manner. The overhanging roof of the reception building on the Driebergen side rests on slender pillars. The platform canopies are light and transparent through the use of the same pillars combined with glass. Application of simple materials gives the station the character of a commuter station that fits well in the wooded surroundings. The station is completed by a slender tower topped by a clock and the NS logo. Van der Gaast designed this complex in collaboration with M.W. van Markenhof. Grand modernism In the 1960s, modernism changed character. Especially in utility buildings this development became visible. Expressive constructions, innovative techniques and large dimensions were characteristic of the new architecture. Increasingly, architects could freely experiment with new technical inventions, such as concrete shell roofs, hyppar shells, pilotis and pendulum columns. Presumably the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels, the Expo, was a source of inspiration. The exhibition spaces exhibited a wide variety of new building forms. For example, the Transportation Pavilion consisted mainly of a giant roof reminiscent of an airplane wing. The lightweight aluminum frame was supported by a series of slender columns of thin metal. Spring tensioners ensured the stability of the roof. In the Netherlands, the ANWB headquarters (1962) in The Hague received concrete precast shell roofs. The saucer and shell roof of the Evoluon at Eindhoven (1966) were supported by twelve V-shaped pilotis. The stations Van der Gaast designed for Almelo, Schiedam and Tilburg can be considered examples of this new "grand modernism. The president of the NS, F.Q. den Hollander, was fond of striking, representative buildings. In his opinion, modern, expressive stations should be built to express the dynamics of the railroad company. Van der Gaast was able to let his imagination run wild, unencumbered by budgetary constraints, for at that time architects were not yet tied to a budget in advance. This only changed in the early 1960s, when the NS ended up in the red and the new president-director J. Lohmann was forced to curtail spending. Van der Gaast was fortunate that he was nevertheless able to complete the stations already designed. He had met Den Hollander's views with original ideas, in which technical aspects occupied an important place. Advanced construction methods and industrial technology were his source of inspiration. Hence, he collaborated with structural engineers at an early stage of the design. The unconcealed techniques he applied were not purely functional, but also had to lead to clarity and beauty and - with respect to the stations of Almelo, Schiedam and Tilburg - also to representativeness. Van der Gaast's statement that the architect should belong to the avant-garde was reinforced with these designs. The hyppar scale Van der Gaast made use of the hyppar scale in Schiedam and Tilburg. A hyppar scale (hyppar is a contraction of hyperbolic paraboloid) has a square surface, of which two opposite vertices are higher than the two others. Thus, there is opposite curvature in two directions perpendicular to each other. Because of this opposite curvature, the load on the plane is evenly distributed and dissipated to the edge elements. These in turn discharge the load through the structure's bearing points to the foundation. Because the load is evenly distributed in hyppar shells, the thickness of the shells can be quite small and the number of support points can be limited relative to the surface dimensions. Hyppar shells are thus ideally suited for covering large spaces. An advantage is also that they are quite easy to construct in concrete and in wood. The calculation of hyppar shells is complicated and must be performed by mathematicians. In Europe, the application of hyppar scales gained prominence due to the Expo in Brussels. The flood of publicity following the World's Fair cannot have escaped Van der Gaast's attention. It is not certain whether he attended the Expo. However, he does refer very briefly to a structure of the Expo in an article in 'Bouw' (1963), in which he explains his design for Tilburg station. This building (the V.V.V. office, Place Brouckère in Brussels) had been the subject of an article by J.H. Pestman in 'Bouw' in 1958. He described how this design by the three Belgian architects L.-J. Baucher, J.-P. Blondel and O. Filippone was covered with a large wooden hyppar shell of fifteen by ten meters. Van der Gaast engaged Pestman's firm in the calculations for the hyppar shells in Tilburg. For the wooden shells in Schiedam, he engaged wood construction company NEMAHO of Doetinchem. This company had performed the scale in Brussels. Almelo The station in Almelo (1959) was designed by Van der Gaast in collaboration with J.H. Baas. Van der Gaast chose a large-scale expressive construction to gain dominance over the space and its surroundings. He designed a prominent, sleek canopy that completely covered the reception building and partially covered the front driveway. A novel element was that the canopy also covered a portion of the front driveway. Thus, the station became a transportation hub, where it is easy and dry to transfer from one mode of transportation to another. On the platform side, the complex is enclosed by a lower canopy, including a long, transparent glass wall. A view of the activity on the platforms remains from the forecourt. The canopy extends above the spaces kept transparent. From the street side, the trains and passengers on the platforms and also the interior of the reception building are visible. The station is not an obstacle between city and rail. The idea of transit space is particularly clearly shaped here. It also created a visual connection to the existing roof of the platform island, because the low canopy is equal to half the height of the platform roof. The canopy defines the allure of the station. It is not so much a building as a structure, which more than meets the NS' requirement of representativeness. Schiedam Center In Schiedam, the construction of a new station was carried out in two phases. First a platform roof (1959) was constructed and only later the reception building (1963). This sequence was dictated by the complicated situation on site. The railroad in Schiedam was shifted, doubled and led high over the Schie River. As a result, a raised platform yard for passenger traffic had to be constructed on the north side. On the west side of the Schie was a vast polder area. The difference in height between the new yard and the surrounding flat land was therefore not small. Good shelter for the passengers was a requirement. Van der Gaast and C.J. van der Grinten designed a striking canopy. Over the entire platform yard of 153 meters long and 50 meters wide, which included three platforms, a single canopy was designed, consisting of an almost entirely welded steel structure. The number of supports under the canopy was kept to a minimum. This created an open space where passengers were not hindered by obstacles and allowed the platforms to be arranged freely. The beautiful incidence of light, the limited number of supports and the beautiful proportions resulted in an optimal spatial effect. The reception building of the station, formerly called Schiedam-Rotterdam West, was again designed in collaboration with J.H. Baas. Construction had been delayed because a rising traffic road had to be built in front of the station to a bridge over the Schie River. In relation to this road, the reception building could make a somewhat lopsided impression. For aesthetic reasons, Van der Gaast designed above the elongated building a movable eaves consisting of 24 hyppar shells. By superimposing them diagonally, so that the points protruded forward, no horizontal roof line was created anywhere. The objection of two non-parallel horizontal lines was thereby visually eliminated. The forecourt with bus station was in front of the elevated traffic road. To reach the station safely, two tunnels were constructed under the road, which gave access to the concourse and to the bicycle basement, respectively. Above the passenger tunnel, a large hyppar shell marked the entrance. Both areas were also accessible from the road at different points. Due to the ascending road, the station was poorly visible from the low-lying forecourt. That was one of the reasons for building a five-story office block above the main entrance, which housed an NS instruction center. Thus, although totally different from, for example, Eindhoven, Venlo and Oldenzaal, a strong vertical accent was also created at this station. The rather heavy office block, together with the two other components, platform roof and reception building, formed a balanced whole. The combination of station and offices had created a new phenomenon: the combined station. Tilburg Long before the war it was already clear that Tilburg, like other cities of some size, could no longer suffice with a level railroad right through the city. In 1957, construction of full-height track began. The raising of the track was part of a large-scale restructuring of the city center. In order to transform this center into a modern, easily accessible city center, major reconstructions had to be carried out. A city ring was constructed around the city center, of which the widened Spoorlaan formed the northern end. The new railway station (1959) was built on the same site as the old one: at the point where Stationsstraat meets Spoorlaan. Unlike Spoorlaan, Stationsstraat, which runs perpendicular to the station from the center, is quite narrow. From this street, the station could never be seen in its full width. From Spoorlaan, on the other hand, the station would be clearly visible, because there it would stand in space, almost as the only building. Frontally, therefore, the station would not come into its own, but from the sides it was visible from afar. The urgent request by Mayor C.G.J. Becht to build a representative and modern station presented an additional challenge. It was thanks to the tenacity of this mayor and his right-hand man, J.D.A. Strijers, director of Public Works, that the station was finally built, without a single change to the design. Van der Gaast came up with a unique solution, which had not been used before in station construction. Since there was only a narrow strip left along the widened Spoorlaan, he designed a station that was set as far as possible against the railroad tracks and partially pushed under the platforms. That way it did not stand out in the road profile and did not form a barrier to traffic flow. There was even room for a frontage road. To still give the station a monumental appearance, all cards were placed on the canopy. It is very special. The undulating roof spreads out like an elongated umbrella over the platforms, the reception building and the entrance lane, thus also involving the street in the station. 'All under one roof' is the principle here. Neither before nor since has this idea come into its own so fully as at Tilburg Station. The large canopy not only provides shelter, but is at the same time an architectural means of connecting city and railroad. While the canopy in Almelo is austere, sober and heavy in construction, in Tilburg the canopy is playful, lively, light and seems to float. In designing the canopy, Van der Gaast assumed the smallest possible number of supports. The flexibility in the use of the spaces below and the effect of the floating roof could then be optimal. He designed an assembly of twelve hyppar shells, supported by ten supports. It was the first time that hyppar shells were constructed primarily of steel. Moreover, they came to be suspended high above the railroad track. Additional trials at the National Aerospace Laboratory were necessary to test the construction. The reception building consists of a collection of more or less detached elements, from which views to and from the platforms are possible. This gives an impression of space and openness, which is reinforced by the transparent design in steel and glass. Central under the canopy is a two-story entrance hall, the most important and largest space of the complex. The hall is clearly visible from all sides and accessible through three double doors on the front and sides. Against the back wall were the ticket office counters and on the right side the fast goods department and luggage depot. The platforms can be reached by fixed stairs and escalators. The wall behind the first platform is formed by service buildings on the left and a waiting room with restaurant on the right. In the middle is a transparent wall, through which one can look down into the hall, the Spoorlaan and the Stationsstraat; space effect and openness are therefore maximized. From the street one sees the platforms and the trains; here, too, city and railroad are involved with each other. With Tilburg Station, Van der Gaast reached a high point in post-war station architecture. For example, the jury report for the Sphinx Cultuurprijs, awarded to the NS in 1993, notes that the station canopy received renewed attention in the 1960s. "Since then, the canopy has shown a surprisingly varied appearance. No less than a sensation in 1965 was the Tilburg station that does not have a canopy, but is a canopy, and what a canopy it is! Here Van der Gaast saw an opportunity to use the most modern constructions to concentrate all the functions of the station under one amazing, zigzagging canopy." In the book "Toonbeelden van de wederopbouw" (2002), the chapter on mobility "shows" two stations: Schelling's Zutphen station (1952) and the Tilburg station (1965), which is called Van der Gaast's masterpiece. The description ends as follows: "The image of this dynamic building is defined by the double-curved scale roofs that cover tracks, platforms and station hall in a single grip. Not the automobile traffic that took such a flight after the war, nor the emerging air traffic, has thus produced the most dynamic architecture of mobility, but a station for the means of transportation of the nineteenth century: the train." Design With the exception of his work for Koster's firm and the design (1956) for a practice house for his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Van der Gaast worked exclusively for the NS. Not only was he engaged in design, but from the early 1960s he served on several committees directly or indirectly related to train transportation. For example, from 1960-1963 he was a member of the "Comité du Siège" in Paris, an international committee that prepared and supervised the construction of the new headquarters of the UIC (Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer), a cooperative body of railroad companies. From 1968-1983, he chaired the UIC 'Design' committee. Van der Gaast was also involved in the development of an NS house style. Because of costs, the architecture of the stations had to remain austere, but an own house style could probably improve the company's image in an inexpensive way. Under the chairmanship of Van der Gaast, the NS Emblem Working Group was established in 1966. Later the working group was renamed the NS House Style Working Group. Meanwhile, in 1965 Van der Gaast had hired S. Wijsenbeek, who had graduated from the Royal College of Arts in London and had been introduced to new ideas about design processes there. Wijsenbeek became involved in the industrial design of the NS. The design firm Tel Design, with Gert Dunbar as designer, eventually shaped the NS's corporate identity. There came one typeface for all printed matter, pictograms, the yellow-blue painting of passenger rolling stock and a new NS emblem: the arrow design. The house style was introduced in 1968. In 1980 an own house style was developed for the Utrecht-Nieuwegein express streetcar. Design remained an interesting subject for Van der Gaast. After leaving his job at NS, he became chairman of the preparation committee and the international jury that selected the Brunel Awards in England "for outstanding design in public transport. Chairman of the Beauty and Welstand Commission in Utrecht Through his membership and later chairmanship (1962-1989) of the Beauty and Welstand Committee, Van der Gaast was actively involved in everything that happened in the architectural field in the city of Utrecht. Initially, the committee assessed only the architecture of buildings. From 1972 the urban planning aspect was added and the name of the committee changed to Welstandscommissie. Art historical aspects, environmental factors, monuments, materials and colors could now be assessed in a broader context. The commission was regularly concerned about the quality of architecture in the city. From this came the idea of an architecture prize, the later Rietveld Prize. Van der Gaast was actively involved in this initiative. The restructuring of the railroad zone in Utrecht, carried out at the time of Van der Gaast's presidency, became the most spectacular urban planning project in the Netherlands. This radical transformation of part of the inner city was intended to give way to the increasing traffic and give the inner city a stronger city function. The City of Utrecht commissioned Empeo, the project development organization of the Verenigde bedrijven Bredero, to find a solution to the expected parking problems on the east side of the station. Empeo concluded that a much larger area needed to be scrutinized to solve the railroad issue as well. Indeed, the wide rail yards, which caused a division in the city, were an annoying barrier. H.T. Vink, an urban planner from Amsterdam, was commissioned to develop an initial plan. His idea was to create a pedestrian connection about six meters above street level from the Jaarbeurs area across the railroad yard to the east side and the old city center. This plan became the starting point for the total reconstruction of this part of the city. Van der Gaast designed the pedestrian crossing together with J. Bak; a very expensive facility due to the heavy construction that had to be applied. The Station District on the east side of the railroad had to be demolished, as did Van Ravesteyn's old station. Via the traverse, the existing shopping center around Vredenburg was directly connected to a new station. Along the traverse came stores, restaurants and office entrances. On the site of the Station District, Stationsplein was constructed with mainly offices. All this together formed a vast area of stores and offices, which next to the old center formed a whole new city: Hoog Catharijne. Before and during the realization of this project there was intensive consultation between the various participants and Van der Gaast was heavily involved in this from the NS. Besides Vink and Van der Gaast, G.J. van der Grinten, B. van Kasteel, K.F.G. Spruit and others shaped the far-reaching plans, under the direction of the architect A. Bodon. The Catrein tower and Utrecht CS Van der Gaast, together with M. van Schijndel, designed the Katreinetoren with Utrecht CS station (1973). The complex, consisting of a high-rise and a low-rise building, is part of Hoog Catharijne. The high-rise, the Katreinetoren, or Main Building 4, houses NS services with national functions. The tower has thirteen floors and reaches about sixty meters above street level. The high-rise is divided into three adjacent bays, which are staggered relative to each other at the end facades. The staggered end facades carried heavy concrete floral elements with rounded corners, giving them a totally different appearance than the longitudinal facades. As a result, the building had great plasticity. Construction and installation elements were visible "unpackaged. Van der Gaast called this one of his most successful designs. Through construction and detailing, the Katreinetoren was one of the landmarks of Hoog Catharijne. Later, the building was gutted and rendered unrecognizable by an enveloping curtain wall. The station is housed in the low-rise building. It is located on the traverse and includes the reception hall with the place card office. Escalators and fixed stairs lead from the hall to the platforms below. Special care was taken with the roof because it is highly visible from the surrounding office buildings. The bus station is located on Station Square and runs under the traverse to the other side. There, at the level of the traverse, there is a platform, where cabs and cars can pull up. Renting and leasing offices and stores was financially attractive to the NS, but on the other hand the company had to take into account the conflicting demands of clients. According to Van der Gaast, this led to less attractive architecture. Real estate interests prevailed over "the face" of the company. As a result, Utrecht CS, the junction of railroad lines in the Netherlands, never had a clear front, no convincing entrance. It is completely integrated into the urban structure of Hoog Catharijne and barely recognizable as a station. The Hague CS After years of discussion, The Hague CS station was built on the old site of The Hague Staatsspoor station (1975). However, The Hague CS did not become a true central station, because The Hague HS continued to exist and not all lines run via The Hague CS. Like Utrecht CS station, it is an example of project development with the aim of optimally exploiting expensive land. The architects J. Bak and Van der Gaast designed for Articon, a subsidiary of the NS, a complex consisting of an office tower, a station and a platform for public transport. Clients were the NS, the municipality of The Hague and Shell Real Estate. Due to the height of the massive office block, the building dominates the entire environment. A gigantic office block more than one hundred meters long and eleven stories high is placed on top of the spaces that open onto the entrance hall of the station. It is articulated horizontally by the recurring alternation of gravel concrete slabs that form the parapet, and a series of linked windows. The austere, perfectly rigid block reaches a height of sixty meters and forms the closure of the head-end station. The reception building disappears into the building mass and is not clearly identifiable as a station. To mark the entrance, a huge canopy is installed, under which cars can pull up. Arriving at the reception building, the traveler experiences the reception hall as a bright and orderly entrance. Counters, a restaurant, various stores, kiosks and the entrance to Babylon shopping center are conveniently arranged. The back of the concourse opens onto the heads of six platforms. Above the platforms, about seven meters high, is the covered traffic platform. This platform is where all public transportation meets from scheduled buses, streetcars and regional buses. Never before had a station become a transportation hub in such a way. The difference in style conception and premise with the stations of the 1960s is great. Unlike the transparent stations of Almelo, Schiedam Centrum and Tilburg, both Utrecht CS and The Hague CS and the office complexes consist mainly of prefabricated concrete elements. In the 1970s, a heavy architecture of roughly finished, concrete façade elements was a fairly common phenomenon in utility construction, especially office construction. This late modernist or brutalist style is characterized by substantial size, a certain coarseness of the material used, sculptural forms with mostly rounded corners and visible constructions. The principles of openness, transparency, connection between city and railroad and the inviting gesture to travelers are no longer found in these stations. The main objective is the optimal use of land and the integration of public and private transport. Utrecht CS and Den Haag CS are among the first stations in Europe where traffic integration comes first. Schiphol Schiphol Station (1978) was a positive exception to station architecture in the 1970s. In the "Rail to 75" plan, the NS had unfolded a number of bold plans, including improvements to the network, intensification of train frequency and replacement of rolling stock. In this way, the NS hoped to reinvigorate passenger service. The most significant change was the construction of several new rail links, including the Schiphol Line, which would connect Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, directly to the airport. Because Schiphol Station was part of the airport, sufficient funds were available for a building, clearly recognizable as an NS station. The design was by Van der Gaast and S. Krudde and came about in consultation with M.F. Duyntjer, the designer of the airport building. The railroad track with the platforms came to be underground under the runways. To give the above-ground section a striking, representative building mass, a large round, circular hall was chosen. This created a sharp contrast between the NS station and the straightforward and austere airport reception building. Recognizable elements by Van der Gaast were the transparent facades and the unusual roof. The circular roof was divided into five segments, like the points of a cake. Each segment protruded one meter above its predecessor, creating the effect of a circular staircase with five steps. At the center of this roof was a cylinder of light. In the hall were the facilities for passengers and service areas. Sound-absorbing materials were installed to keep out the noise of air traffic. Ramps and stairs led from the hall to the platforms below. The elongated underground section contrasted sharply with the light aboveground section. M. Schwenke provided the more than three hundred concrete columns, which support the tunnel construction, with a colorful tessellation. When the traveler looked past the columns, the effect of straight lines was created. If he looked from a moving train, an arrow shape appeared. Amsterdam Zuid WTC (1978), a design by Van der Gaast and B. Spängberg, connected Amsterdam to Schiphol Airport. The main part of this station is an underpass under one lane of the A10, the subway track, the railroad track and the second lane of the A10. This underpass contains the entrances to the metro platforms and railroad platforms, plus the regular railroad accommodations. The island platform contains windbreaks, an enclosed waiting area and a small service area. The 1980s In the 1980s, the NS again invested heavily in the stations as facial elements of the company. There was a period of steady growth in passenger numbers and the "Rail to 75" plan began to bear fruit. To provide an attractive environment for passengers and entice new passengers to take the train, the architectural quality of the new stations was again considered. A number of younger, promising architects were hired, both at the NS's own engineering company and at its subsidiary Articon. They built spectacular stations in which construction took a prominent place. The beauty of unconcealed constructions - with which Van der Gaast had taken credit in the 1960s - was elevated to style. Six more stations by Van der Gaast were completed during this period, which are very different: Maassluis Station (1980), Amsterdam RAI Station (1980-1981), Goes Station (1982), Harderwijk Station (1982), Zaltbommel Station (1984) and Voorburg Station (1987). Voorburg station was the last station Van der Gaast worked on. For health reasons, he had ended his work with the NS in 1983.