A historic station roof rewritten as a glowing textile—Foster turning infrastructure into a weather lantern.
Railway station in Dresden, Germany.
Featured in Foster + Partners's definitive monograph, Norman Foster: A Life in Architecture.
Visitor Guide
Stand under the roof and wait for a cloud to pass: the membrane doesn’t just cover space, it edits the light like a giant softbox.
Inside the main train shed, centered on the axis, mid-day for maximum translucency; for exterior, Wiener Platz at dusk when the roof reads silver against the sky.
Yes—public railway station, open daily as part of transit operations; no ticket needed to enter station halls (tickets required to travel). Free alternative: the station itself is the attraction—no barriers to the main spatial experience.
The roof upgrade is the architectural event: a glass-fibre membrane with a Teflon coating, used to replace traditional glazing while keeping daylight and reducing maintenance—a material choice that changes how ‘historic’ space feels.
30–60 minutes
Design & Structure
Adaptive reuse through material innovation: the intervention focuses on roof performance—translucency, self-cleaning behavior, and controlled daylight—rather than changing the station’s basic plan. Digital modeling supports membrane geometry, attachment detailing, and daylight behavior across the large shed spans.
Glass-fibre membrane with Teflon coating (PTFE-like behavior in popular descriptions): lightweight, translucent, and designed to stay cleaner than conventional glazing—turning the station into a luminous volume.
Retrofitting a new roof system onto historic iron arches is a precision job: loads, connections, and thermal movement have to work with existing structure while meeting modern performance criteria.
See Together
Buildings that pair well with Dresden Hauptbahnhof — they're nearby or share a compelling architectural conversation.
More by Foster + Partners
View all →
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
British Library of Political and Economic Science
Beijing Capital International Airport
Willis Building, Ipswich
Imperial War Museum Duxford
The Spectrum Building
Nearby in Dresden
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Dresden Hauptbahnhof?+
Dresden Hauptbahnhof was designed by Foster + Partners and completed in 1898. It is located in Dresden, Germany.
Where is Dresden Hauptbahnhof located?+
Dresden Hauptbahnhof is located in Dresden, Germany. Its coordinates are 51.0403°, 13.7317°.
When was Dresden Hauptbahnhof built?+
Dresden Hauptbahnhof was completed in 1898. It was designed by Foster + Partners.
Can I visit Dresden Hauptbahnhof?+
Dresden Hauptbahnhof is a real building in Dresden that can be viewed from the outside. Check local information for interior access and visiting hours. Use the Parametric Atlas walking tour feature to plan a route that includes this building.