In 2014, Studio Selva was asked to design a new façade for a chauffeur’s break room at Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station, built with prefabricated modules for the public transport company GVB. We decided to have the original exterior walls painted black and fitted with a lamellae façade of high-performance modified timber.

A rhythmical pattern of vertical planks with minimalist detailing gives the building a solid, yet graceful presence. We designed the lamellae with a slight fanning out to create seamless corners. To add more sophistication to a structure set under the gray concrete of the railway station, we applied a custom-made semi-transparent shimmering coating to the wood.

The re-design of the building exterior has changed its very manifestation, transforming a container that embodied temporality into a home base for the GVB personnel.