Metro Oostlijn, Amsterdam Rail Station Interiors, Dutch Transport Architecture, Images
Metro Oostlijn in Amsterdam
Transport Buildings Development in Holland – design by GROUP A
25 Mar 2019
Metro Oostlijn
Architects: GROUP A
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Architectural studio GROUP A has recently completed renovating the Metro Oostlijn (East bound Line) of the Amsterdam Metro. The project includes 5 underground and 11 above ground stations. The Oostlijn runs from the Central Station to Amsterdam Zuidoost, partially underground and partially elevated above ground. It was built in the seventies in a signature brutalist style.

Over the years, the clarity of the original architecture had become muddled. The line?s identity faded because of subsequent modifications. Passengers complained of a lack of safety, comfort and overall smudginess. The metro operator was in desperate need of a clear strategy regarding wayfinding, advertisement, ticket vending and commercial signage. Escape routes were too narrow and a proper smoke exhaust was lacking. In short, the stations were no longer equipped to face the future.
GROUP A developed a design vision, based on enhancing social security, comfort and identity. Their aim was to create a modern metro system which functions adequately, is comprehensibly organised, and pleasant to use. The architects proposed to achieve this without denying the brutalist DNA of the metro line or even demolish it. But instead build upon it.

Al...