JR Kumamoto Station Building

 

  • LOCATION

    Kumamoto, Japan

  • YEAR

    2021

  • CLIENT

    Kyushu Railway Company

  • ARCHITECT

    Nikken Sekkei

  • CATEGORY

    mixed-use transit hub

  • SF

    86,292

image credits: Nikken Sekkei

 

An interior jungle

The Kumamoto station building is a mixed-use project which brings nature into a highly trafficked building and makes it the centerpiece. The building contains a train terminal, a mall, and a hotel; it unifies this diverse program around a central 7-story atrium of terraced gardens and waterfalls. The atrium lets in natural light and connects people to plants and water. The project designers used digital simulations to predict indoor lighting, humidity, and sound, to ensure the interior environment was pleasing to visitors.