#5 Houten Service Station

Location: Netherlands

Architect: Samyn and Partners

Completed: 1999

Samyn and Partners are on a mission to redefine the mundane designs of the common service station, seeking to create prominent and inventive structures.

Houten service station in the Netherlands is part of the 'Fina 2010' programme where oil company Petrofina commissioned the station to be reimagined by Samyn and Partners. This particular station was deemed '363-Fina Europe: Houten Service Station'.

To prevent an uncomfortable windy atmosphere common to roadside gas stations the architects have added semi-transparent curved facades around the station. Made from galvanised expanded steel plates with apertures making up 50 per cent of their surface area, these have been placed using technical calculations to eliminate as much wind turbulence as possible. The metal sheets also act as a passage for cars, signalling the entry and exit points.

A sloping overhead canopy shelters the petrol pumps and connects the Fina shop.

When darkness falls a continuous blue neon strip casts the Fina company hue into the night from its position upon the curved screens, glowing from the side of the highway.

All images courtesy of Christian Richters