Warsaw-based Tremend Architecture Studio has completed a transport center in the Polish city of Lublin, described by the team as “one of the most environmentally friendly developments of its kind in Poland.” In addition to its signature canopied platforms for urban and regional bus transport, the scheme contains underground car parking, taxi bays, cycle infrastructure, and a public roof garden.

Located near the city’s historic 19th-century railway station, the design approach for the new transport center sought to “blend in with the urban and architectural context of the place” while also serving as an act of renewal for the post-industrial area. The resulting project was envisioned as a simple, modernist pavilion to contrast with the eclectic style of the railway station, “remaining unchallenging of it, thanks to its clearly different architectural language.”

The scheme’s defining features are distinct exposed steel pillars that serve both structural and decorative functions. “Their linear, somewhat organic forms are reminiscent of intertwined tree trunks, giving an air of lightness to the entire edifice,” the team says about the pillars. “Stainless steel and glass were also used as construction materials.”

The center’s sustainability credentials include an outdoor vertical garden, the installation of a rainwater harvesting system, and ventilation systems with up to 80% heat recovery. Meanwhile, the bus shelter canopy is clad in transparent glass with integrated photovoltaic cells, while energy-efficient HVAC systems allow for individual control of temperature settings in different areas of the facility and time-clock scheduling.

“The implementation of technologies and materials that are environmentally friendly and limit the carbon footprint of constructions make it one of the most ecologically sound and energy-efficient buildings of its kind in Poland,” Tremend architect Magdalena Federowicz-Boule said about the scheme.

News of the transport hub comes months after SLAS architekci designed a colorful multifunctional public park in the southern Polish city of Chorow. Elsewhere in 2023, construction began in Poland on one of Europe’s largest museum complexes.