MAD unveils “Train Station in the Forest” under construction in Jiaxing, China
MAD Architects has just unveiled the design for the ‘Train Station in the Forest’. Under construction and scheduled for completion on July 1, 2021, the project is located in the center of Jiaxing, in the southeast of China, in close proximity to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. The intervention covers an area of 35.4 hectares and consists of the reconstruction of the historic station and the creation of a new underground infrastructure. It also includes the construction of squares in the north and south and the restoration of the adjacent Volkspark.
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Under the direction of Ma Yansong, MAD Architects was inspired by the historical and cultural context of the city. Efficient, on a human scale and abundant with natural light, the new station will create a comfortable environment. While the main transport and commercial functions will be in the basement, the ground floor space will be returned to nature, freed from any infrastructure, creating a ‘train station in the forest’ and ‘the Volkspark to radiate through the plan in the city and to form an urban oasis”. In fact, the project aims to create a “boundless park” where citizens and travelers can live and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings, bringing the city center back to the people.
China’s train stations compete to be bigger than each other. They stand high in the city like large palaces and are surrounded by large main roads, imposing viaducts and often empty squares. In place of this pursuit of grand, monumental architecture, is it possible that urban train stations create their own beautiful environment, with comfortable scales and a mix of transportation and urban functions that are both efficient and human? Is it possible that train stations are more than a stopover for travelers, but an urban public space for people to enjoy? – Ma Yansong
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To rebuild the original historic station, MAD worked closely with heritage architecture experts for a more accurate reconstruction of the historic station and its features. When completed, the old station building will become the Jiaxing Railway History Museum. On the other hand, the new additions, the station hall, platforms and waiting hall are hidden underground, “while the one-storey height above ground level humbly respects the scale of the old station building”. Bus stations, a tram, metro, car parks and taxi ranks are linked by the proposed plan, creating an efficient transport portfolio that can be accessed from the train station and meets the demand for transport facilities created by the new commercial zone.
The underground space is centered on the human scale and is open and bright. “As people move from the guard hall to the platforms through a futuristic underground tunnel, they observe the rebuilt old station building overhead”. In addition, the plan places the commercial functions of the station underground, while sunken courtyards connect this commercial space with the park above.
Jiaxing train station
Jiaxing, China
2019-2021
- Typology: transport infrastructure
- Site area: 354,000 m2
- Construction area: approximately 280,000 m2
- Main Responsible Partners: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
- Associated Partners: Liu Huiying
- Design Team: Cao Chen, Reinier Simons, Yao Ran, Fu Xiaoyi, Yu Lin, Chen Wei, He Shunpeng, Cheng Xiangju, Kaushik Raghuraman, Chen Nianhai, Deng Wei, Cao Xi, Sun Mingze, Huang Zhiyu, Zhang Kai, Li Zhengdong, Dayie Wu, Huai Wei, Claudia Hertrich, Liu Zifan, Xie Qilin, Alan Rodríguez Carrillo, Qiang Siyang, Hou Jinghui, Li Xinyun, Yin Jianfeng, Mathias Juul Frost, Lei Lei, Lu Zihao
- Client: Jiaxing Modernservice Industry Development & Investment (Group) Co., Ltd.
- Executive Architects: Tongji Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd., China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd.
- Structural advisor: LERA Consulting Structural Engineers
- Façade consultant: RFR Shanghai
- Landscape consultant: Z’scape Landscape planning and design
- Lighting Consultant: Beijing Sign Lighting Industry Group
- Signage Consultant: NDC CHINA, Inc.
- Heritage Consultant: Shanghai Shuishi Architectural Design & Planning Corp., Ltd
- Interior Design Consultant: Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Decoration & Landscape Design Research Institute Co., Ltd.