By Karin Bendixen

In future, all the stations on Copenhagen’s underground system will be designed according to the principle of "a station for all"

The dimensions of wheelchairs are often used to determine the dimensions of lifts, quite apart from what the standards provide. But this time, the basic unit is that of the twin pram for the lifts in Copenhagen’s future underground stations.

"We have come to the conclusion that the fertility clinics are doing a great job," says Nille Juul-Sørensen with a smile. He is an MSc architect, a partner in KHRAS architects of Copenhagen and responsible for designing Copenhagen’s underground stations."

There really has been a boom in twin prams, so we have taken them into consideration when designing the Metro lifts, which therefore have a door-way of 1,100 centimetres."

Simple philosophy

"Our considering twin prams will therefore benefit some of the other 250,000 daily users of the Metro. That is actually what it is all about. The philosophy is simple: Copenhagen’s future Metro stations are designed ac-cording to the principle of ‘a station for all’. The fact that we have taken people with special needs into consideration should not show at all," insists Nille Juul-Sørensen.

In about six months, the first underground stations will be adapted. Meanwhile, the concept is being tested and developed in a giant hall outside the centre of Copenhagen. Here, a full-scale model of one quarter of a station has been built, complete with everything it should contain.

The layout of the underground stations is minimalistic. Accessibility, security and safety are the most essential parameters in the platform design. And the solutions chosen are based on the experience accumulated by underground systems in other parts of the world, discussions and input from experts, from users with different kinds of disabilities and from the underground train user survey.

Redesigning leading lines

As a decorative pattern in the granite coating of the platform, the tactile leading lines in stainless steel mark the route from the stairs and the lift to the platform doors. Leading lines in stain-less steel are a new concept.

"Until now, Pictoform, (a Danish company specialising in sign systems for the blind and the visually disabled. Ed.) has only produced leading lines for outdoor use in iron, as iron rusts and creates a beautiful colour. But this solution does not work indoors, which is why the company had to develop leading lines in stainless steel," says Nille Juul-Sørensen.

Experience with sign systems on the edges of stair risers revealed that there is a risk of the steps themselves being perceived as completely flat if they are marked with a coloured strip, for example. So the steps in the future underground stations will only be mar-ked at the banister on each side.

No time for sitting down

The fact that there are no toilets or benches on the platforms has been criticised. But the reason is primarily to avoid turning the underground stations into a rallying-ground for the homeless and drug addicts.

"It is our experience that toilets are used by drug addicts and that they cannot be kept sufficiently clean, which means that other people do not actually want to use them. And as there are only three minutes between each departure during the day between five a.m. and one a.m., no one will ever wait for long for the train to arrive," says Nille Juul-Sørensen.

Instead of benches, there are rest bars, for people to lean against. General information is provided by large blackboards with symbols and large fonts. Information about train arrivals and departures is provided by information displays.

Light and logic

Safety and security at the stations is very strongly influenced by the choice of lighting. Custom-designed lighting is used in the deeper underground stations, a lighting that becomes brighter, the closer one gets to the platform doors.

"Gigantic windows will be used at the Metro stations, so that the daylight is strengthened by prisms and throws the light down to the platforms 20 metres below the ground," says Nille Juul-Sørensen. "In addition, we have been working on a logical refurbishment of the stations, which is based on people’s experiences: things are placed logically and everything is self-explanatory. This also applies to the stations’ emergency system."

Juul-Sørensen does not actually believe that this is part of the process of designing the platforms, but because of the necessity for recognition and logic, it is important to make emergency systems look the same, regardless of whether the passengers are on the train or at the platform. But this is also the only issue where Juul-Sørensen accepts a compromise.

Published in Crisp & Clear No. 1, April 2000