Silver Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2026
Komazawa Daigaku Station
by Uds Ltd.
- A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: UDS Ltd.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 21,283
- Verification code F4031743AF · Verify this award
About Komazawa Daigaku Station
Komazawa Daigaku is a renewed railway station located under Komazawa Park in Setagaya, Tokyo. The Under the Park concept treats the underground concourse as roots and the exit buildings as symbolic trees. Station components are grouped by three timescales: permanent earthworks, aging trees and renewing leaves. Existing tiles and terrazzo floors were preserved to reduce waste, and domestic timber was used. A metallic ceiling coating creates a dappled light effect. Benches and counters invite people to rest and to meet.
Emerging from the intersection of vernacular craft sensibility and contemporary architectural innovation, this station entrance by Daisuke Takamiya establishes a compelling urban threshold through paired sculptural volumes whose distinctive materiality and form language create an immediately recognizable civic landmark, the design demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how traditional building techniques particularly the layered application of protective tile cladding might be reinterpreted through contemporary fabrication methods and chromatic complexity, the variegated green and gray palette appears deliberately calibrated to suggest natural weathering and patination while maintaining visual freshness, creating surfaces that will age gracefully within their urban context, compositionally the work achieves dynamic equilibrium through asymmetrical massing unified by consistent material treatment and the recurring motif of softly rounded rectangular window apertures whose warm metallic frames provide punctuation against the cooler tile field, the curvilinear roof profiles reference without literally replicating the sweeping eaves of traditional architecture transforming familiar forms into abstract sculptural gestures, at ground level the transparent commercial zones and clearly marked station entrance provide wayfinding clarity and invite pedestrian engagement while the narrowing passage between structures creates a sense of discovered intimacy within the urban fabric, the work participates in ongoing architectural conversations regarding how transit infrastructure might transcend purely functional requirements to contribute meaningfully to neighborhood identity and urban placemaking, viewers are invited to consider how the careful orchestration of material texture color and form transforms necessary infrastructure into an architectural gift to the community.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This project's uniqueness is its "Under the Park" concept, which creates a consistent narrative for the entire space: the underground concourse is envisioned as the town's "roots," and the buildings as "symbolic trees." Furthermore, a unique design methodology redefines the station via three timescales: "permanent earthworks," "aging Trees," and "renewing leaves." This presents a new vision for an adaptable station designed to be loved long-term.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Total Floor Area:
Underground Station Concourse: Approx. 6,500 sqm (RC structure, 2 floors below ground)
East Exit Building: 564.34 sqm (RC structure, 4 stories above ground)
West Exit Building 1: 398.58 sqm (Steel structure, 2 stories above ground)
West Exit Building 2: 346.80 sqm (Timber and partial RC structure, 4 stories above ground, 2 floors below ground) - Tags
- Renovation, Station, Sustainability, Timber, AdaptiveReuse, Narrative, PublicSpace, Biophilic, Placemaking, Tokyo
- Production Technology
- This project’s realization is driven by sustainability. We minimized waste by preserving existing tiles and terrazzo floors, while using domestic timber for its warmth and environmental benefits. The West Exit building, in a fire protection district, pioneers advanced timber tech like LVL fire-resistant coating and a two-way rigid-frame structure (rare in Japan). A special metallic ceiling coating creates a unique komorebi (dappled sunlight) effect.
- Design Challenge
- Our greatest challenge was maintaining the consistency of the "Under the Park" concept across a four-year project with diverse work areas and many stakeholders. Amidst fragmented on-site decisions, our "Earthworks, Trees, and Leaves" design guideline served as the core guiding principle to return to. Additionally, realizing a timber station building in a fire protection district was a major external challenge, requiring us to overcome strict legal regulations and technical constraints.
- Project Duration
- This project was implemented at Komazawa-daigaku Station in Setagaya, Tokyo, as the first phase of the "Green Under Ground" renewal project by Tokyu Railways Co., Ltd. The schematic design phase began in August 2020, and the overall construction period for the station runs from July 2020 to March 2025. Completion is on April 1, 2025.
- Operation Flow
- Visitors are guided by the "Symbolic Tree"-like station buildings into the "Under the Park" world. Descending warm, trunk-like staircases, a space unfolds resembling the roots of a park, seemingly bathed in dappled sunlight. This functions not merely as a path to the trains, but as a "garden" for people to spend time as they wish. Intentionally placed benches and counters invite users to linger, meet or rest, generating a new, personal interaction with the station itself.
- Research
- This practical research aimed to translate the given "Under the Park" concept into a sustainable space, creating new value for aging infrastructure. Our methodology was to develop the "Earthworks, Trees, and Leaves" model, which classifies station components by three timescales. Based on this model, we selected materials and composed the space, prototyping advanced timber technology in one building. The expected social impact is increased user dwell time, fostering affection for the station.
- Inspiration
- The primary source of inspiration for this project is its very location: "under Komazawa Park." We were strongly motivated by the desire to transform the aging, inorganic underground space—a place people have used daily for over 45 years—into a more comfortable and cherished environment. Therefore, we placed the "park," a quintessential landscape shared by all local residents, at the core of our concept. We envisioned that just as the trees in the park extend their roots underground to support their lush forms above, the station could also become like a living organism—absorbing, nurturing, and radiating the town's vitality. This poetic vision of "Under the Park" became the driving force behind the entire design.
- Image Credits
- Image #1 : TOKYU CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD., 2025
Optional Image #1 : Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2025
Optional Image #2 : Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2025
Optional Image #3 : Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2025
Optional Image #4 : Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2025
Optional Image #5 : Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2025