endo shuhei architect institute: trainstation O

‘transtation O’ by shuhei endo image courtesy shuhei endo architect institute photo © yoshiharu matsumura

japanese architectural firm shuhei endo created ‘transtation O’ to rejuvenate an unmanned station in sakai cho, japan. a former railroad siding the site has been transformed into a station that includes parking areas for cars and bicycles and places for waiting passengers. due to the shape of the site, a long corridor was incorporated into the architecture as an open gallery, making it very accessible.

its continuous form is made with corrugated steel plates. since the area sees some accumulation of snow in winter, the building structure has to withstand a considerable amount of snow. for this purpose, plates with thicknesses ranging from 2.7 to 7 mm were used as needed. corrugated steel plates can be shaped into curved forms easily, and a variety of section forms are possible. three types of structure were employed for the building. one is a simple cantilever type with one side of a plate in the ground. in the second type, a gate-shaped frame is attached to the cantilever type. and, in the third, both sides of a plate are in contact with the ground. one of the three types were employed depending on the degree of openness of the area. steel members are galvanized in consideration of ease of maintenance. recessed-type fixtures are used for floor lights to create attractive nighttime illumination, featuring reflecting lights.

‘transtation O’ by shuhei endo image courtesy shuhei endo architect institute photo © yoshiharu matsumura general info: project name: transtation O architect: shuhei endo location: sakai-cho, fukui pref. completion:1996 december principal use:station structure system: corrugate plate　 extent: one story site area: 825m2 building area: 365m2 total floor area: 365m2

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