Studio Gugger | Bahnhofareal Pontresina

The cosmos of the station plateau

We see the station plateau as a cosmos of its own and are developing it further in line with the existing building typologies. A sequence of slender volumes with pitched roofs running parallel to the railway tracks creates a relationship between all the buildings on and around the station plateau. A sequence of squares is recognisable and yet the spatial permeability that makes the station plateau a transit space can be experienced. The front of the reception building is made visible again towards the town centre.

By returning to the historic façade design, the reception building will once again stand proudly on the square and the kiosk at the entrance to the station area will be removed. This will allow the elegance of the canopy by Conzett, Bronzini, Gartmann, which floats on narrow support profiles, to unfold once again. With this in mind, the strategically placed but spatially separating information boards under the roof will also be removed.

The station square will be brought right up to the youth hostel, creating space for appropriate front zones. Paved areas, covered threshold spaces and groups of trees will create an attractive arrival point. Bernina Tourism in the reception building, youth hostel, restaurant and sports facilities form destinations in their own right.

The imposing plasterwork of the reception building is not rivalled by the new wooden buildings, and the setting and volume of the new buildings respect the historical scale despite considerable densification. However, the prerequisite for a lively plateau is the reorganisation of traffic and the consistent rededication of the above-ground parking areas.