New Station Square, Olten (1st Prize, Competition)

In designing the Olten railway station, the goal was twofold: to reflect the station’s national importance as a transport hub and meeting point, and at the same time to ensure that the scale of the infrastructure remained in tune with the city of Olten.

A key architectural feature of the design is the series of lantern structures, each forming a spatial, architectural, and design unit together with an underpass. These lanterns mediate between the city level and the station level, creating a sense of connection and coherence. The lantern at the Hardegg underpass, serving as the main entrance, is larger in scale. In the event of a future track extension, the “most famous station buffet in Switzerland” will be housed on the upper level of this lantern, offering panoramic views of the Aare River, the station square, and Olten’s old town. This main lantern acts as a clear point of orientation, helping to guide the flow of pedestrian traffic as intended.

The main station building also forms the northern boundary of the station square and acts as a hinge to the bus terminal. Over the long term, the existing landmark station hall will be extended with a new hall, providing unobstructed views of the platforms and trains, and making the station the public face of SBB Infrastructure.