The neighborhood around subway station Slinge in Rotterdam has, in the past, been a place of social problems and insecurity.
Playing a key role in upgrading the neighborhood the subway station needed a major overhaul. Especially the outdated pedestrian bridges, that link the platforms to the parking garage across the street, needed attention. The old bridges were heavily deteriorated, dark and enclosed. This made the pedestrians feel unsafe and unwelcome.
Our main design goal was to change the bridges from a unwanted dark space into a light and social place. We replaced the old metal facade with blue glass that creates interaction not only between the different height levels inside the bridge, but also creates interaction between the bridges, the road underneath and the subway track.
On the bridge travelers can already see the subway arriving or departing. The roof of the bridge gently slopes up and down, following the ascent and descent to and from the subway platform into the parking garage.
At night the bridges are illuminated from inside and so they become an icon for the neighborhood.
