Kochi Station

Kochi is one of the few prefectures in Japan which produce great amount of wood, main products being Japanese cedars and cypress. Consequently it was quite natural that the locality wanted us to use those local products for the railway station which was the urban symbol of the area. The grand roof of the station shed 38.5 m wide and 60m long is constituted by a series of timber-steel hybrid arches the upper chords of which are mainly laminated wood of Japanese cedar with the lower chords and lattices of steel tubes. The hybrid arch is designed in a unique shape to facilitate the construction of roof frames on the elevated level, while keeping the operation of the original railways on the southern side, and to cover the pedestrian path on the ground level along the northern side.