Gottlieb Paludan Architects has accomplished the technically demanding task of designing a new railway station located inside a mountain near the Norwegian coastal town of Holmestrand.

The architecture creates dramatic tension between outdoors and indoors by establishing a high-speed railway station inside the mountain behind Holmestrand.

As part of a large-scale modernization of railway traffic along the west coast of Oslo Fjord, a new station has been built in Holmestrand, roughly 80 km south of Oslo. The railway line was relocated 150 metres inland, which required the blasting and construction of a new 12 kilometre tunnel through rock. The task posed enormous technical challenges in terms of design, construction technology, acoustics, ventilation and fire-proofing, as the station space itself had to be established inside the mountain.

The station is accessed through two portals situated directly against the mountain wall. From here, 100-metre tunnels lead to the station space inside the mountain via ramps and stairways.

The station space is planned so that in addition to ordinary trains, high-speed trains can also run through the tunnel at speeds of up to 250 km/h. Forecourts, a bus terminal with associated facilities and a car park with space for 200 vehicles will be constructed near the station portals.

Photos: Tove Lauluten (1, 3-6) Tomasz Majewski (2)