Watertheater

A large timber canopy for a public transport hub in Nieuwegein.

A leaf-shaped roof spans 60 by 40 meters. Its structure is built from 275 m³ of laminated wood, supported by three rock-like columns and three slender steel pendels. Above, ETFE cushions and mesh filter light; below, the wooden ribs remain visible.

The canopy gathers rain and channels it through the columns into underground basins and planted areas, making water part of the experience of waiting.

Eight boarding bays and a central alighting point are arranged beneath the roof, forming a new civic space that is both infrastructural and atmospheric.

Lightweight and monumental, functional and performative, the Watertheater turns everyday transit into a collective encounter with structure, weather, and landscape.