Box in box: The glass cube of the Lublin metropolitan railway station is built into the structure with a roof and openwork columns (© Rafał Chojnacki)

Column miracle with a green soul Lublin Metropolitan Railway Station (PL)

All kinds of traffic meet at the brand new railway station in the Polish metropolis of Lublin. The new architectural landmark not only fulfils its function, but is also built in an extremely environmentally friendly way - not least thanks to Geberit products.

The main railway station of a large city is usually a mobility centre where far more traffic circulates than just trains. The Polish city of Lublin, including its metropolitan region, is home to over 700,000 inhabitants. This density requires a high and flexible level of mobility. And this is where the new Lublin metropolitan railway station comes in.

Local buses, rail transport, cycle traffic and taxis all meet at this station. This may sound complex, but the architectural solution is simple. Basically, the station is a single modernist block, supported by the only decorative element: the striking openwork columns.

Box-in-box for heating efficiency

They basically support the envelope, which is the roof. They are therefore also part of an ingenious ecological heating concept known as a box-in-box structure. A larger outer block - roof and columns - covers a second, smaller block. Only the smaller block is heated, but the construction also distributes the warmth in the outer area. This significantly reduces the heat output.

The building envelope is also ecologically valuable to a large extent. For example, an almost 300 m² vertical garden has been created along the outer wall of the building. The roof is also greened, as are the areas around the station.

The “grey water“, which is the rainwater from the roof, is used for the toilets and for maintaining the green areas.

An almost 300 m² garden was created along the spectacular building (© Alek Małchowski)

Rainwater comes in via the Geberit system

To drain this rainwater efficiently, the planners chose the Geberit Pluvia roof drainage system. This draws the water from the roof using a vacuum and, thanks to its high performance, requires only a few downpipes. This saves material and creates design freedom for the architects.

With Geberit Smyle washbasins, public toilets are also equipped with Geberit products. Geberit washbasins ensure that the sanitary rooms are reliably and economically equipped and, thanks to their simple design, provide architects with a great deal of creative freedom.

Lublin's new railway station is therefore not only a new transport centre for the city, but also an architectural landmark with a high level of environmental compatibility.