The historic Assen Station in the Netherlands has been transformed by a massive triangular wooden roof and the addition of a new station building below it. Designed by De Zwarte Hond and Powerhouse Company for the NS, ProRail, and Assen city council, the new station provides a striking gateway into the city.

The city asked for a transparent and inviting station that would seamlessly connect visitors to the surrounding neighborhoods. The triangular geometry of the roof gives the building below a dynamic cap while also organizing the programmatic qualities of the station, creating a subtle tunnel for travelers to pass through and keeping both the neighborhood and urban sectors intertwined.

At 3,000 square meters, the roof is made entirely of wood and rises 10 meters at its high point. The shape is a scalene triangle, where each side is a different length with measurements of 78, 88, and 90 meters respectively. A green roof surface has been designed into the edges of the roof to provide a buffer for rainwater, while freestanding columns were used in the building's construction to open up space for the program beneath the assembly.

Detached buildings sit beneath the vast roof, each dressed with tall glazing and purple-red toned bricks with rounded corners. The station functions as a kind of public plaza that sits comfortably under a large wooden shade.