Susa International train station (Competition) 2012.10.04
Developer / Lyon Turin Ferroviaire SAS
Site / Susa valley, Turin, Italy
Main use / Train station and cultural centre
Total floor area / 8,500 m2 (+15,000 m2 car parking)(as planed)
Height / 3 stories above ground and 2 below (as planed)
Kengo Kuma & Associates won the first prize for the competition “Susa International train station” in Turin, Italy.
Susa is a small city located in the middle of a valley within the Italian Alps, near the border with France. A long time ago, this strategic position made the Susa valley an important gateway between the two countries, however, over the decades, with the growing hegemony of air transportation, it has become just another valley. A renewed interest in the development of the high-speed trains is now giving the Susa valley another chance to recover its strategic role.
In this project, the station is like an extension of its surrounding spaces. The building rises from the ground as an exterior spiraled promenade that achieves all-around vista of the valley, a panoramic balcony where locals, tourists and transit travelers can equally enjoy the landscape. Our aim is to avoid the new station becoming a stranger within the valley. With the design recalling the surrounding mountains and not prioritizing any of its facades, the station has the intention to tie and merge within the surrounding alpine environment.