Gottlieb Paludan Architects has cooperated with the railway authority of the Japanese island Hokkaido on designing Hakodate Station. The Danish architects were responsible for the design concept, and worked closely with the Japanese company’s own architects on elaborating the details of the project.

Hakodate Station lies in an area that is currently undergoing development, and which is located close to the old docks. The project will play a key role in transforming the docklands from an industrial zone into an urban area. The station has a large square at the front to accommodate buses and taxis, and room for other traffic around the structure. The square itself was an important part of the project.

The two-storey station building has a large, oval rotunda as its central element. The façades are faced in titanium and the rotunda in black granite. Indoors, the building is divided into a commercial section with shops, restaurants, and cafés, and a station section with ticket windows, offices, and a police station.

Photos: Gottlieb Paludan Architects