Terminus Hoenheim-Nord
Zaha Hadid Architects
Strasbourg, France
1998-2001
Photos by Hélène Binet

There are no noteworthy large parking lots that exist with a sculptural intent in mind. Car park and terminus Hoenheim Nord is an exception as it has a clearly defined spatially dynamic objective. This project is an intermodal transportation center with bus, tram, and train lines, bicycle lanes, and car parking, connecting this northern suburb with the center of Strasbourg, and thus alleviating the city center of cars and improving Strasbourg’s civic life.

“The overall concept is based on overlapping fields and lines that knit together to form a constantly shifting whole. Those ‘fields’ are the patterns of movement engendered by cars, trams, bicycles and pedestrians. Each has a trajectory and a trace, as well as a static fixture. It is as though the transition between transport types (car to tram, train to tram) is rendered as the material and spatial transitions of the station, the landscaping and the context.” (ZHA’s data sheet, dated 22-08-2007)

Despite its sculptural and social ambition, in reality the project remains a harsh environment, dominated by concrete, asphalt and steel, heat radiation, and devoid of life; further emphasizing the challenge of designing a spatially and experientially engaging parking lot.