Project Overview
The train station is a temporary structure designed using repurposed shipping containers. Situated on the old Kentemade Train Station’s site, the facility serves as an interim transit hub, addressing the community’s transportation needs. This project redefines the concept of temporary architecture by integrating sustainable practices, modularity, and rapid deployment into the public transportation sector. It fosters a strong connection between people and their area by transforming a purely functional structure into a space that becomes part of the daily lives of the commuters, residents and workers. Although temporary, the structure present revitalises its surrounding bringing life, activity and a sense of safety to an underused and neglected space.
Design Approach
The architectural design embraces the industrial aesthetic of the shipping containers, designing them to meet the functional and environmental requirements of a public space. Containers are stacked and arranged to house ticketing offices, passenger
waiting areas, staff amenities, and sheltered walkways.
Key alterations include insulation, turbine roof vents that use wind-powered rotation
to extract hot, stale air from the containers to allow cool, fresh air to enter the container from the windows, and prefabricated facades for aesthetic coherence and improved climate control.
Material Innovation and Sustainability
Shipping containers were selected for their structural integrity, uniformity, and availability. The use of recyclable and reusable components across the station’s infrastructure ensures that post-decommissioning, the containers can be reused for other community uses or further adapted for semi-permanent urban applications.
Social and Urban Impact
Beyond environmental benefits, the project provides a visible commitment to sustainable development, transforming a utilitarian object into a civic landmark. Its bold, modular aesthetic reflects the city’s innovation agenda and drive to upgrade the public transportation sector of the city. The flexibility of container design accommodates changing passenger flows and evolving security or accessibility needs without major structural changes.
Conclusion
The train station exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to infrastructure, proving that sustainable materials and adaptive design can yield cost-effective, resilient, and culturally impactful temporary public structures. By harnessing the potential of recycled shipping containers, the station becomes more than a way station, it becomes a symbol of urban ingenuity and environmental responsibility.
