BYSTASJONEN BUS TERMINAL

​

Bergen’s main bus terminal is part of the city center’s large transportation hub. Bus traffic to and from all parts of the Vestland area meet here. Bus terminal building is located deep inside the first floor of the city’s largest parking garage building that is characterized by large steel structures, exposed concrete decks and heavy traffic. In addition, the building is surrounded by one of the most noisiest and traffic-intensive streets in  Bergen – Fjøsangersveien. In this kind of an environment, where there is an obvious lack of all the qualities that can define a good and pleasant urban space, our intention was to make a sole “public island” that can provide the travelers more humane feeling and an identity that is set to oppose the busy traffic area and rough elements around.

​

All design elements and details inside the building were dimensioned in relation to the human scale.

In order to compensate the lack of natural light and to make high contrast with the surrounding, the terminal “island” is given a bright slate deck that is laid from edge to edge, also throughout the building.

Slightly undulating warm-toned wooden ceiling that protrudes outside of the interior space provides the passengers with a sense of coming to a smaller, more pleasant space in the otherwise large and dehumanized terminal area.

Both interior benches and benches along the perimeter wall are made out of warm-toned wood same as the one on the ceiling. Existing steel columns inside the public hall are covered with wood paneling decorated with intarsia artwork. This unifying of wood-finishing gives the space a warmer and more welcoming feeling.

The perimeter glass walls of the public hall are intended to give the good visual relation between the interior waiting area and the platform. On some parts of the glass façade, artistic decoration is added as an integral part of architecture.

​

Lars Morell was responsible for the artwork on the exterior glass façade parts.

Stefan Törner was responsible for interior intarsia works on columns and the luminous sculpture over the stairwell.