Graz Main Station Redeveloped

A Wave for a Roof and 150 Metres of Art

Graz central station, with 30,000 travellers per day, is one of the most important transport hubs in Austria, and it's importance will be increasing further in the future. The design for the new roof and the platform access is by Zechner & Zechner, Vienna. They were already busy with planning for Graz station, including construction of the local transport hub on the plaza and a shopping centre.

The New Roof at Graz Station – the “Wave”
The platform roofs at Graz central station no longer met current infrastructure building requirements. The architects made use of this opportunity to build a new roof that goes beyond the area of the current island platform roof and form an appealing counterpart to the already restored and extended main hall and the canopy at the station plaza.
Beams with two spans of over 40m each, arch over the area between the tunnel stairs, forming a “wave”. The reduced number of supports and a height of up to 8m below the roof create a generous cover above the central area for the waiting passengers.
The arched beams reach a height of 4m at the shoulders and are situated in pairs. The distance between the beams increases upwards to form a V, producing a lens shaped gap between the pairs of beams that are used to provide illumination to the platforms, covered by a translucent membrane roof. The crossbeams of the roof structure run across the entire track area to provide a wide roof in the central platform area.
The roof structure, which is connected at the centre, transitions into individual, tongue shaped platform roofs in the outer areas of the platforms. This creates an overall impression that resembles a wave gradually dissipating as it spreads. The image of the “wave” acts as a symbol that emphasises the dynamic of the train as a mode of transport.

150 Meters of Art
In the north of the station site a new pedestrian tunnel was constructed. The new passage provides access to all platforms, but also provides a connection to the area of the city on the other side of the tracks. The impression of length of the tunnel is reduced by creating width, good artificial lighting, and, most importantly, by installing a 150m long artwork by Peter Kogler, in the form of glass cladding with large printed areas, making the passage a very special exhibition space.

Zechner & Zechner ZT GmbH