Leverkusen, Germany

Pahl + Weber-Pahl Architekten redesign the ZOB Leverkusen, Wiesdorf central bus station as part of the urban reorganization of the area, thus signifying the rejection of existing car-friendly conditions and aiming to create a contemporary appearance of intermodular elements.

The project has been awarded a 2021 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The city gained a transitory space, which creates urban, identity-establishing, and lively sojourn qualities, which had been missing dreadfully until now.

The shape-defining and lightly roof of the new bus platform loosens in its inner organization from the compulsion of the linear string of stops.

The second phase of the building will be the rearrangement of the entire space by including further functions such as a bicycle parking garage, rooms for waiting and service, and a new linkage for the Rhein-Ruhr-Express and the cycle network.

The concept of shape forming goes along with legible and load-bearing principles. Based on a 3D-model, 8 downwards extended funnels result in curved surfaces for a membrane being borne by an edge beam.

Those are led by load-bearing frames to support bundles and are fixed there. Per 3 horizontal rings bear those frames due to ring forces.

Moreover, these frames serve to absorb the illumination and generate obvious points of orientation, waiting areas, and drainage areas.

That composition between shape and structure is defining for the architectural expression.

For the membrane, the team used a welded, coated, and low-flammable PVC sheet with quality classification 4 and an edge thickening.

Also, its semi-transparency enables a reduced and daylight-dependent control of illumination.

The stops of the serrated bus-bays and the information systems for passengers are independent of the construction of the roof as well as modifiable.

So, as part of the planning, the team inserted stops for articulated busses, lowered, disabled-friendly and tactile elements without an impact on the already far advanced planning of the roofing construction.

Sustainability and resource-efficient buildings in public spaces require durability, ruggedness, and low maintenance. This had been extensively discussed with the clients and other involved parties and became the basis of planning.

The free spanning membrane covers the entire steel structure, resulting in steel being protected from weather influence.

Furthermore, the membrane is separated into 8 independent segments, which enables a partly replacement in certain sections.

The Teflon-coating permits little effort in maintenance, cleaning, and caring.

Also, the membrane can be recycled after its guaranteed lifetime (of over 20 years).

For the steel structure, the team aims for an unlimited lifetime meaning a long-term construction.

To the new site of ZOB Leverkusen, sustainability means a durable, future-oriented composition of environmental, economic, and social demands.

That signifies —besides durability— the ability of replacement and recycling and also the high demands on the sojourn quality, the subjective and objective sense of security.

First feedbacks from the users testify to a high acceptance and value attributed to the realized project.

Project: ZOB Wiesdorf, Leverkusen
Architects: Pahl+Weber-Pahl Architekten BDA
Client: Stadt Leverkusen, Fachbereich Tiefbau
General Contractor: Montage und Anlagenbau Gründken GmbH
Photographers: Roman Mensing and Sven Kaufmann