Architects Zechner & Zechner Receive the WORLD INFRASTRUCTURE AWARD 2014 for the Graz Local Transport Hub.

This international prize is awarded for outstanding and innovative projects in infrastructure and has this year been won by an Austrian project. The decision was announced as part of ‘Tomorrow's Infrastructure Forum’ in London.

The jury awarded first prize in the transport category to the Europaplatz Local Transport Hub at Graz Main Station, recognising the high quality of the design of the new tram station, its integration into an urban context and the connection of various different means of transport – tram, bus and rail. The project also represents an important approach to creating an increased acceptance of public transport and to reducing CO2 emissions.

The local transport hub at Graz Main Station, developed by Vienna architects Zechner & Zechner, with transport planning by IKK ZTGGmbH and structural engineering by Schimetta and by Zenkner, won out against projects that included the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco and the International Cruise Terminal in Shanghai.

The clients, Holding Graz Linien and the City of Graz, required a redesign of the Europaplatz transport hub to adapt it to increased passenger numbers at the main station. Moving the tram lines underground created a more attractive plaza and allowed for an increase in numbers of people using the site.

The stop is open to the sky above the lines, with covered waiting areas. This allows natural light to illuminate the platforms and provides ventilation and an uninterrupted view to the exterior. The angled and structured surface makes the station seem to have been ‘cut’ from the ground, with these cuts extending onto the surface of the plaza. The most significant element of the redesign is the covering of the plaza – an oval, ring-shaped disk that provides a ring of shelter to the station concourse and bus stops. It is called ‘Golden Eye’ by the people of Graz. The pavement and the movements of the passers-by are reflected on the underside of the roof, like a film that has been turned on its head. The station's stripe pattern extends over the paving at plaza level, and shades into differently designed green zones, by landscape architects 3zu0.

The redesign of the plaza at Graz Main Station is already creating a positive visual impact and is acting as a trigger for the further development of the area.