ma yansong on MAD’s first transit-oriented project, a ‘train station in the forest’ in jiaxing
CategoriesArchitecture

ma yansong on MAD’s first transit-oriented project, a ‘train station in the forest’ in jiaxing

MAD architects unveils sunken train station in jiaxing, china

 

MAD Architects unveils Jiaxing Train Station (see designboom’s previous coverage here), the firm’s first transit-oriented infrastructure reconstruction and expansion project. Departing from the conventional pursuit of monumental transportation structures in China, the architects built an underground hub, replacing a dysfunctional train station that had stood at the site between 1995 and 2019. The submerged station, presented as a discreet structure, accentuates the historic station while integrating an extensive park featuring verdant spaces envisioned as an urban oasis in the densely populated area.

 

Lead architect Ma Yansong prioritized the project’s human-centric and efficient design ethos, contrasting with imposing and secluded Chinese transportation facilities typically bordered by expansive main roads, viaducts, and vacant squares. ‘They are like isolated islands where nobody likes to go unless they have to take the train,’ he tells designboom. ‘People should not feel lost in a vast space that makes them feel disoriented.’ MAD’s design revolutionizes the functions of transportation structures by largely relocating them underground, challenging traditional concepts and introducing the ‘train station in the forest’ concept. To delve deeper into this new typology, its design concept, and the challenges encountered during its realization, designboom spoke with Ma Yansong himself. Read the full interview below. 

ma yansong on MAD's first transit-oriented project, a 'train station in the forest' in jiaxing
the Jiaxing Train Station from above | photography by AC

 

 

interview with ma yansong

 

designboom (DB): What is the design philosophy behind the Jiaxing Train Station? 

 

Ma Yansong (MY): It’s not just a train station; it’s a part of an urban renewal. That area is a central part of the city, but nobody wants to visit it because the environment there is really bad. The only reason people go there is to take a train. However, I think the train station is not just for its function. It has to regenerate the whole area. It’s important to let this train station become an attractive, urban space that, no matter if they’re taking the train or not, people enjoy. Our design has a more environmental feel to it. We see more urban spaces in the project. There is the transportation function, but we also have a commercial function; we have offices, and parks. In addition, we kept the traditional building, the old train station from 100 years ago, and we made it into a small museum, so we added a cultural aspect to the transformation as well. Now, young people, old people, businessmen, travelers, families—they all have a purpose to go to the area. 

 

ma yansong on MAD's first transit-oriented project, a 'train station in the forest' in jiaxing

 

 

DB: How does the project separate itself from traditional designs of transportation structures?

 

MY: Through the years, China has developed a lot of train tracks for fast-speed trains all over the country. They have allowed people to travel around different cities, and of course, they have helped the economy. In a way, train stations have become symbolic in China. A lot of stations are very monumental; they are very large with huge plazas in front of them. In most cases, the train tracks are elevated. As a result, the stations feel disconnected from the rest of the city. They are like isolated islands where nobody likes to go unless they have to take the train. I understand those buildings have a symbolic purpose, but I think for both train stations and urban spaces, we need more humanity. We need something easier, with convenient access. People should not feel lost in a vast space that makes them feel disoriented. With these thoughts in mind, we decided to make a low-key architectural project. If you look at this building from a high level, it’s really low. We have used this low height to put the focus on the historical building, which is also a very small building. Most of the functions in our project are underground. From above, everyone sees only parks and greenery. 

 

ma yansong on MAD's first transit-oriented project, a 'train station in the forest' in jiaxing

 

 

DB: You mentioned that the design preserves the original 1907 station. Why was it important for you to look to the past? How did you balance historical preservation with contemporary functionality?

 

MY: The old building is part of the city’s history. History needs to be preserved, especially when we want to design a so-called futuristic building. I like to show all these different times and the historical layers, and I want to show them at the same time. Once you go visit this space, you will see these historical elements and some abstract new spaces. You will think, ‘This is futuristic. This is something I recognize from 100 years ago.’ Different narratives are unfolding. Urban space needs to have these layers so that people can fully understand what the project is about. Then, of course, history gives us a reason to design something new where past and present are still equal. When we put all these layers in an equal position, the citizens find more freedom because they don’t feel like they only belong to the past or the future. In any case, I didn’t want the futuristic character to dictate the whole atmosphere.

The old building was important, though not architecturally valuable. It is part of history, so that’s what makes it significant. It also gave us the excuse to create a new building that was very small compared to other train station constructions. I was able to build a low structure that respects the old building, which is already quite small. In a way, that is how I convinced the system, the government, to do something different and not build a huge train station like other transportation hubs in China. 

 

ma yansong on MAD's first transit-oriented project, a 'train station in the forest' in jiaxing

 


DB: Can you elaborate on the significance of placing the busy transport hub underground, and expanding the existing park? Did you face any challenges during the design and construction?


MY:
Most Asians are used to a very dense urban context when it comes to transportation hubs because a station has to serve its main function, which is, of course, the transportation of people. In this case, though, we have multiple functions, and most of them are now placed underground. We designed and introduced a new typology, essentially.  Since everything is underground, there has to be a new design that facilitates the use of the infrastructure. 

There was an existing park at the north of the site that was gated. We made it open and expanded it. We planted more trees, and we grew the green space to connect the train station with this old park, and then to a new park to the south. The two parks are now connected through the underground. Making this urban center blend into the green, was poetic, but it was also the main purpose of our project. We wanted to create something open.

 

ma yansong on MAD's first transit-oriented project, a 'train station in the forest' in jiaxing

 

 

MY (continued): One of the main challenges we faced was convincing others about the development. It’s more of an ideological challenge. We had to explain why this new train station looks like this. There were long discussions in the beginning. Also, we had to make sure that enough commercial spaces were accommodated in the project so that the whole thing could be supported. The second challenge was the fact that the train could not stop working during the whole construction. Every day, the train had to continue moving. That made the construction quite a challenge. Everything was completed very quickly and in parts. First, it was the north platform, then the north train station, then the north building. But it was also a challenge to do this amount of underground construction at such a quick pace. Again, through everything, the train had to keep on moving. 

 

ma yansong on MAD's first transit-oriented project, a 'train station in the forest' in jiaxing

 

ma yansong on MAD's first transit-oriented project, a 'train station in the forest' in jiaxing

 

ma yansong on MAD's first transit-oriented project, a 'train station in the forest' in jiaxing

 

Reference

Apple reveals Battersea Power Station shop as latest “evolution of the store”
CategoriesInterior Design

Apple reveals Battersea Power Station shop as latest “evolution of the store”

Technology company Apple has unveiled its latest Foster + Partners-designed store in the recently revamped Battersea Power Station in London, which features updated fixtures and furniture.

Set to open later today, Apple Battersea is the brand’s 40th UK store and represents an evolution in its retail design thinking with more of an emphasis placed on accessibility and sustainability.

“We developed this material palette and this fixture set that is really trying to align with like Apple’s goals,” said Bill Bergeron Mirsky, a global retail design lead at Apple.

“This material palette is new for us, it’s an evolution of the Apple Store,” he told Dezeen.

Apple Battersea by Foster + Partners
Apple Battersea opens today

Designed by UK studio Foster + Partners, the store is set on the ground floor of the shopping centre within the 1930s Turbine Hall A at the former power station, where the studio also designed the technology brand’s offices.

The shop is arranged around four original brick piers and has steel roof supports exposed on the ceiling. On top of this base, Foster + Partners overlaid a revamped fixture set that Mirsky said “will become familiar over time”.

Apple Battersea is the second store – after the recently reopened Tysons Corner store in the USA, which replaced Apple’s first ever store – to feature the redesigned fixtures.

Apple Battersea by Foster + Partners
It features an updated fixture set

Around the edge of the store is an oak framework of shelving that was developed with Foster + Partners.  The timber structure also defines a space dedicated to watches, a pick-up area and a redesigned Genius Bar.

The Genius Bar has a counter for stand-up service along with a lowered area where people can be served sitting down. Along with its standard Parsons tables, which are made from sustainably harvested European oak, the store also has several lowered tables.

Updated Genius Bar
The redesigned Genius Bar has a lower counter

“We’ve thought about mobility issues across the whole fixture set,” explained Mirsky. “We have our traditional Parsons table with our standard height, but you notice that the tables in the back are varied and our new genius bar as well.”

“We have a standing height because the team really prefers to stand and it lets them work with more people and then they can stand at the tables, but customers who want to sit or need to sit can actually use these slightly modified tables,” he continued.

As part of the focus on mobility, Apple also increased the amount of circulation around the edge of the store.

Tables in London Apple store
There is more space around the edge of the store

Along with the timber framework, Apple aimed to replace other more carbon-intensive elements in the store with biomaterials.

The floor, which was first used in the Brompton Road store, was made from aggregates bound together with a bio-polymer, while the acoustic baffles in the ceiling were made from biogenic material.

The acoustic baffles and bright floor form part of a focus on improving visual and acoustic clarity in the store, with a dark band placed around the base of the walls to provide visual differentiation with the flooring.

“Something I want to point out that is really part and parcel of the material palette, but also goes to our universal design, is the contrast in the store,” said Mirsky.

“We wanted to make sure we have this really enhanced kind of navigation,” he continued. “So the floor is brightened – it helps us with our low energy – but it also makes it so that you can clearly see the table and the walls are defined.”

Pick up space in Apple Store
The store has a dedicated pick-up corner

The fixture set, flooring and ceiling baffles were also used at the Tysons Corner store and Mirsky believes the base can create a feeling of familiarity for Apple’s customers.

“Each store is really dealt with as a unique circumstance Battersea has this incredible, incredible existing architectural fabric to work in,” he said.

“We use the same fixture set at Tysons Corner in a mall setting in America which doesn’t have this sort of grand grandiose architecture, but the same fixture set can generate an environment that’s very familiar and welcoming no matter where you are.”

The store is the latest to open in London, following the Brompton Road store that opened last year, which was designed to be a “calm oasis”. Other recently completed Apple Stores include the band’s first shop in India and a store in Los Angeles’ historic Tower Theatre.

Reference

Space tourism informs design of Ichi Station sushi restaurant in Milan
CategoriesInterior Design

Space tourism informs design of Ichi Station sushi restaurant in Milan

Valencian design studio Masquespacio has completed a dine-in restaurant for takeaway sushi chain Ichi Station in Milan, with interiors designed to resemble a futuristic spaceship.

Set in a historic building in the Brera district, the chain’s latest outpost builds on the same travel and transport concept established across its other outlets – including eight in Milan and another in Turin.

View inside ICHI Station restaurant
Masquespacio has designed Ichi Station’s Brera outpost

But Masquespacio wanted to take this idea to the next level for the new restaurant by drawing on the visual language of sci-fi and space tourism.

“We proposed approaching the travel concept as a trip to the future,” said Masquespacio co-founder Christophe Penasse.

“When you enter Ichi, it’s like entering a capsule-like spaceship travelling through light, where you will disconnect from reality in order to get in touch with the food.”

Takeaway counter of sushi restaurant in Milan by Masquespacio
Customers can pick up orders at the takeaway counter

Masquespacio completely redeveloped the layout of the 80-square-metre site – previously another restaurant – creating a central dining area along with a tunnel where diners can observe some of the sushi-making process.

A pick-up bar close to the entrance was added to separate the circulation routes of take-away customers and diners.

Dining area of ICHI Station restaurant in Brera
The dining area is housed in a cylindrical tunnel

The tunnel motif was developed as a way to express the idea of travel and make a reference to Japan without falling into cliches.

“Some elements were incorporated to remind the customer of Japan, like the huge lighting circles, although we tried to avoid making typical references to Japan such as using wooden structures,” Penasse explained.

The tunnel motif also informed the circular and cylindrical details that pop up throughout the space across seat backs, bar stools and decorative elements such as the circular feature light in the main dining area.

“The shapes and forms give the project the futuristic look that it needed,” the designer said.

Counter seating in Milan restaurant by Masquespacio
Diners can also watch sushi being prepared at the counter

Masquespacio opted for a simple and restrained material palette that includes glass and micro-cement, which was used along with fully integrated tables and seating to create a seamless look reminiscent of a spaceship.

The restaurant’s custom-made furniture brings in another reference to transport design tropes. “You can recognise it as a reinterpretation of the seating in a station and especially on a train,” Penasse explained.

Dining booths in ICHI Station restaurant
LED light panels are integrated into the walls, ceilings and table tops

The interior is finished in neutral shades of beige and off-white but is cast in different vivid colours thanks to the LED lighting system that is integrated into the walls, ceilings and even the table tops.

The lights alternate between shades of blue, green, purple and peach at variable speeds and, according to Penasse, create a veritable “explosion of colour”.

Toilets of restaurant in Milan by Masquespacio
The toilets are finished in contrasting navy blue

Although based in Spain, Masquespacio has completed a number of projects in Italy in recent years.

Among them are two colour-block restaurants for fast-food chain Bun – a blue-and-green interior in Turin and a green-and-purple version in Milan.

The photography is by Luis Beltran.

Reference

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Station // Bordas+Peiro Architecte
CategoriesSustainable News

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Station // Bordas+Peiro Architecte

Text description provided by the architects.

The future Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne station is part of the European train line connecting Lyon to Turin. It will be one of the link of this new connection which will be at the center of the north-south and east-west axes of Europe. The site of this future station take place in a strong duality between the very present mountains and the rail infrastructure.

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

The project is articulated in an « in-between » and follows this subtle dichotomy in its conception._Morphology and shapeThe proposal is built like a rocky extraction, a sculpted volume to give it a dynamic and formal link with the landscape and his context.This mass is percied in a relevant way, creating framing on the landscape and offering natural light in spaces of great heights.Posed on a transparent based, the volume maintains a strong link between the interior and the exterior of the station.

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

A tension is generated between the lightness of the base and the massiveness of its upper part pierced by the train._General accessibility, readable streams, clear thresholdsThe multi-oriented station is designed with several levels of forecourt which allow to identify the uses. A high forecourt to the south in connection with the city center, a lower forecourt for the train and bus station.

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

This public space is open to everyone, a connection forecourt, passage and waiting, which creates a direct link between two parts of the city._Ecological transitionThe prismatic volume is built like a rock from a local, ecological and noble material : the rammed earth with a dark color. A natural and biobased material from the nearby mountains.

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

Its atypical form orients part of the roof that can absorb natural light to create energy. A passenger building for the city, economical in surface area, material and energy..

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

© Bordas+Peiro Architecte

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Station Gallery

Reference

China to use robots to 3D print the second-largest hydroelectric power station in Asia
CategoriesSustainable News

China to use robots to 3D print the second-largest hydroelectric power station in Asia

Spotted: China recently announced the construction of a massive dam on the Yellow River in Qinghai Province. The hydroelectric power station will be the second-largest in Asia. At 390-feet tall, the dam will be similar in height to the Three Gorges Dam (594 feet tall) – which is currently the biggest hydroelectric power plant in the world.

As the world moves to stop burning fossil fuels, two of the most popular renewable energy sources are solar and wind. Despite solar and wind power getting most of the attention, hydropower is more efficient and has a higher output capacity. In such a spirit, China’s Yellow River dam will show that hydropower is still a viable option for generating large amounts of renewable electricity.

Construction of the Yangqu Dam is well underway, and plans are for it to be built entirely by robots, without any human labour. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robots for construction is not only faster and more efficient – it also eliminates the need for human labour, which can be expensive and dangerous. In the case of the Yangqu Dam, using robots will also help to ensure that the dam is built to exact specifications.

In 2024, the first section of the Yangqu Dam will become operational. The entire project is expected to be completed the following year. Once complete, the dam is predicted to generate almost five billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, according to the South China Morning Post. That’s half a billion more than Arizona’s Hoover Dam – which is 726 feet tall and took 5 years to build. Ninety-six people also died during construction of the Hoover Dam. It is hoped that with 3D modelling and robotics, Yangqu Dam will be built without such risks.  

Other construction innovations involving robots recently spotted by Springwise include autonomous robots that reduce construction errors at the start of projects, a carbon-negative construction company that uses robotic builders, and the world’s largest 3D-printed building constructed by a robotic construction company.

Written By: Katrina Lane

Website: jst.tsinghuajournals.com

Reference