HARAJUKU STATION

Glimpse of Tradition

The current Harajuku Station which was completed in 1924 is the oldest wooden architecture that is adopted as a station in Japan, embodying a British architectural style. In 2016, Harajuku Station went under reform in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This assignment required us to contemplate a new proposal for Harajuku Station while designing an Observatory/Exhibition Space to appreciate the Japanese heritage and culture.

Tokyo Station and Harajuku Station as a Terminal

Yamanote Line, which was planned in the Meiji Era (1868~1912), is circular and has no Terminal Station. However, Tokyo Station, which is situated adjacent to the Imperial Palace has a similar facade (gate) design as the renowned Terminal Stations around the world. It is built in British-Architectural Style and can be said that Tokyo Station has terminal-like characteristics. In fact, Tokyo Station is the terminal for some other converging lines such as the bullet train lines. In like matter, Harajuku Station possesses a gate-like facade, as well as the British-Architectural style. In addition, Harajuku Station has Meiji Jingu (Imperial related area) in its background, which seemingly acts as a pair with Tokyo Station. There are no other stations within the Yamanote Line which shares these mutual attributes. However, the scale of Harajuku Station and the number of users are relatively few compared to many other stations within the Yamanote Line. Therefore, although having characteristics of a terminal station, it should be interpreted from a different aspect.

City of Harajuku

Harajuku Station stands at the borderline of two bipolar elements; the conservative forest of Meiji Jingu, and the daily-updated city of Harajuku. It is a very peculiar site that suddenly appears in the metropolis. Meiji Jingu is a human-made forest, which originated from approximately 120,000 tree donations from around Japan. The types of trees and their distribution were precisely planned to mimic a natural forest. The forest is an artificial symbol of Japanese Heritage. Conversely, the city of Harajuku is home to the youth culture and is the source of new trends.

Omotesando Entrance

Shape Diagram

1. The site of the station lies at the borderline between Meiji Jingu and the city of Harajuku

2. A rectangular reference is drawn

3. Walls are positioned facing Omotesando and Takeshita Street, where most lines of flows are coming from

4. Elements such as stairs, rooms, and facilities are positioned accordingly to the flow plan

5. Walls are trimmed in relation to the elements and the line of flow

Barrier-Free Design

The station flow line concludes mainly within the first floor for train users to minimize the vertical movement for handicapped users. The flow line to the appreciation space may be fulfilled by using the elevator or slopes that extend from the first floor to the basement floor. The station is positioned at a sloping topography, which makes this sloping movement within the station feel natural. The office floor on the second floor is mainly for employee usage. However, two elevators connect all floors allowing barrier-free vertical transport if necessary.

A New Interpretation of "Terminal Station"

Gate Design for the New "Terminal Station"

Meiji Jingu has acted as a satellite area for the Imperial Palace, which served as the civic core in the past. The new Harajuku Station will function as a terminal for the remains of the Japanese traditional spirit. It will remind us of what we came from within the metropolis. That is to say, the target of observation required in this assignment will be the forest of Meiji Jingu.

The new design for the station will consist of a gate as the other terminal stations do. By using Harajuku Station, it will function as a filter that maximizes the experience of observing the forest. Therefore, the station is not only a gate that is created at the borderline of the city and the forest but is a device that creates a seamless connection between the two bipolar elements of Harajuku. Different compositions to observe the forest will be created.

Elevation Facade Design

The characteristics of the bipolar city of Harajuku are applied to the facade design. Viewing the Harajuku Station from the Meiji Jingu forest, it is a single wall with windows that stands straight up in people’s vision. The station blends in with extruded volume blocks of eastern Harajuku. Viewing the Harajuku Station from the updated city, the facade overlaps expressing a more organic figure, so as to blend in with the scenery created by the trees of Meiji Jingu Forest. This was my solution for an object being placed at the borderline of Harajuku.