Vellinge Travel Center

Secluded calm with algorithms behind the scenes
Client:
Year: 2020
Area: 160 kvm
Partners: Region Skåne, Trafikverket, Vellinge kommun, Sweco, Edge (landskap)
Photography: Mads Frederik

A complex traffic flow, road noise and the absence of a safe space for waiting travelers call for creativity and clever algorithms. One side of the E6 now has a travel center spliced down the middle by an 80-meter-long, six-meter-tall and distinctive sound barrier. On the other side of the road, fields billow in the wind.

Vellinge Travel Center
To avoid sound leakage, the noise barrier over the Vellinge travel center is completely intact. It cuts right through the station building, tightly shaped around the body of the building and then flows together with the landscape.

Vellinge Ängar is one of the municipality’s biggest public transport hubs, located directly beside the E6, between Malmö and Trelleborg. Thousands of commuters pass through daily, many in need of a safe and accessible travel center. This is a need that will grow as the area is developed with new homes adjacent to the recently built entry square. Cyclists can now park their bikes under a roof and continue their commute by bus. Meanwhile, those who arrive to the commuter parking lot by electric car now have access to charging stations.

When Tengbom developed the travel center and the sound barrier, focus was placed on the experience from both the station square and from the road.

 

Through parametric design, a construction solution emerged that made it possible to let wood slats in organowood form a vivid spectrum of shades. The rays from the sun now fall differently depending on the time of day and the season.

A backdrop-like sound barrier

The sound barrier runs directly over the roof of the station. It became a key element of the travel center. Travelers are welcomed inside, while noise from the road is blocked out. Through parametric design, whereby computers use algorithms to design a construction, a solution soon emerged – a solution that made it possible to use OrganoWood battens to create a vibrant spectrum of hues. Distance and placement were adapted to three unique dimensions, so that the sun’s rays fall differently depending on the time of day and the season. Some parts of the sound barrier are transparent, with glass behind the battens, which lets light into the square and makes it possible to see out across the fields. The division into clear fields is a stylized interpretation of the surrounding landscape.

Vellinge Travel Center
Durable but natural materials characterize the Vellinge travel center. Slate on facade and waiting hall floor. The interior is yellow-orange as a contrast to the other natural materials.

“Getting to help create something that changes and improves the environment for thousands of people every day is rewarding,” says Torbjörn Håkansson, lead architect for the assignment. “The combination of major traffic flows, accessibility and striking design was an exciting challenge.”

A safe, 200 square-meter station

The station entrance facing the road is like a beacon to the world beyond. It signals the new neighborhood that is emerging beyond the barrier. Inside the station is the welcoming waiting area, designed for openness and safety. There are no corners here to close visitors in. Travelers can find shelter from the wind and rain, use Wi-Fi provided by the local transport operator, visit the restroom, or have a cup of coffee in the café. The square outside has a safe playground for the little ones, to make waiting for the bus more fun.

Elegant and natural materials

The exterior is made of slate, a durable and graffiti-proof material. The floor in the waiting area is also made of slate. The colors and signs inside are a nod to the local operator’s graphic profile, with a yellow-orange palette providing contrast next to the natural materials. The ceiling and the interior’s outer walls are covered in natural-color wood wool tiles, interspersed with lacquered ash sofas. The ceiling fixtures bring nature into the space while providing nice acoustics, with their soft wool foliage.

“The station is a very positive addition to Vellinge,” says Martina Ljung, head of planning and development at Vellinge Municipality. The E6 is very exposed to weather, so people appreciate being able to find shelter.”

Vellinge Travel Center
Here, waiting should become an experience. Both from inside the station building and from outside the motorway and also the adjacent square.

The team behind this project

  • Björn Sjöholm Architect
  • Emma Nilsby Lead designer
  • Kajsa Larsson Project architect
  • Kristina Finné Architect
  • Torbjörn Håkansson Lead architect
  • Tove Leander Architect

Contact

Torbjörn Håkansson Lead architect +46 40 641 31 36