The development of railway stations takes place in long cycles. What will a station have to do in ten years, what in twenty years? How will visitor flows develop? What do customers expect at the station? And how is the station connected with the city? - SBB wants to find answers to these questions by developing prototype "mobility hubs". The focus is on future functionalities and their location, in the limited space available.

"Playstation" - workshops with all stakeholders

The interests of the stakeholders in the context of mobility and residential development vary greatly. The conflicting interests of limited space, closely networked means of transport and customer-friendly services require integrated development, in cooperation with all stakeholders.

In a series of workshops - so-called "playstations" - evoq, together with a wide variety of interest groups inside and outside SBB, compiled the requirements for future station facilities. The result is a catalogue of hundreds of statements from stakeholders, which is clustered and structured and finally attributed to personas.

Prototypical 3D models

The typology of mobility hubs comprises four different types: Main transport hubs are the major railway stations in cities. Secondary hubs in the suburban areas relieve the urban train stations. Central hubs can be found in smaller suburban areas. Finally, there are regional hubs serving rural regions.

evoq has built 3D models for all four categories. The focus is not on the architectural design, but on the placement of the functional requirements.

Concrete concerns, concrete personas

Customers, city representatives or mobility service providers have their own individual views and very specific expectations of the station. While for working people the quick transfer is in the foreground, elderly people want safety and space. Shops and restaurants want to reach their customers. And urban planners see the station above all as a meeting centre with the best possible quality of stay.

These demands are never abstract, but concrete concerns of individual people. That is why the statements of all user groups, which were collected and condensed in the "playstations", are assigned to concrete personas in the 3D models. This makes very different user journeys visible in the 3D models.

The user journeys are complemented by the services and functionalities of the station. These are illustrated and located with the help of a pictogram system. The system provides planners with a construction kit for station design.

Web application viastazione.ch

The viastazione.ch web application makes the results of the work visible. It is aimed at a specialised audience, primarily planning teams for train stations and cities. The 3D models can be explored at critical points. Filters allow the selection of differently themed layers and provide a clear view of the diverse requirements for mobility hubs.

Viastazione does not intend to be a planning tool or a set of rules, but is intended to provide suggestions for concrete project work on site. The platform is constantly being expanded.