Varberg Railway Station

Varberg’s new station building is part of the Varberg Tunnel, an ongoing infrastructure project in which the railway has been relocated from ground level into a tunnel beneath the city. The new station building has a twofold purpose: to create a natural gathering place for the city’s travellers and to serve as a meeting place for local residents.

To learn more about the project, we spoke with Rickard Stark, an architect at OkiDoki Architects, who shares the thinking behind the design, the constraints they faced, and the aspects of the project he is most pleased with.

Sustainability at the heart of the Project

How did you become involved in the project?

“The project began for us as an invited parallel commission, organised by Jernhusen, the Municipality of Varberg, Hallandstrafiken and the Swedish Transport Administration. The competition started as early as 2017, and the client subsequently decided to proceed with our proposal,” Richard explains.

As I understand it, sustainability was an important aspect of the project. Were there any specific environmental targets set for the project?

“Sustainability was a consideration from an early stage, but using a timber structure was not an explicit requirement of the competition. However, timber became a natural choice for several other reasons, not least because Varberg is Sweden’s largest port for sawn timber products. A large-scale solar panel installation, on the other hand, was a prerequisite for the project.”

Inspiration from the wind and sea

The station is a very beautiful building, and I particularly like the way the roof seems to “take off” at the corners. Where did you draw your inspiration from? And has the design changed at all from the beginning of the project to its completion?

“Yes, we think it turned out beautifully and quite poetically. The form is directly connected to the ever-present sea and the culture it has shaped. In part, it draws on one of Varberg’s most important landmarks, the cold bathhouse from the town’s spa era, when architecture was often extravagant and daring. Bold, expressive forms such as onion domes were common.

But it also reflects people’s enduring attraction to the sea and the experience of swimming in it. The upturned corners of the roof are reminiscent of a towel catching and fluttering in the wind.”

Were there any particular constraints you had to work within? Or was there any aspect of the project that proved especially challenging?

“We came on board once the tunnel beneath the station had already been fully designed, so, for example, the escalators had a fixed position from the outset. Designing a station that works for everyone, at all times of day, also requires a great deal of specialist knowledge.

Given the station’s central location, it was particularly important to us and to the city that the building should contribute to urban life and justify its prominent location.”

Fantastic collaboration brought the project across the finish line

Is there anything in particular that you are especially pleased with?

“Yes, we’re particularly proud of having made it through this marathon that architectural projects in Sweden so often become. The fact that it actually came to fruition is something we owe to the fantastic collaboration with Jernhusen and the Municipality of Varberg.”