"This project is a lesson on how to make the smallest of train stations become a very significant part of a town.

The building, located at the west end of the Yufuin Town, an onsen (hot springs) resort nearby mount Yufu, takes the traditional programme of a railway station to a different level by creating a waiting room that doubles up as an art gallery as a response to the brief’s request for the station to become a showcase for Yufuin.

The 12m high central atrium, which leads to the offices and waiting room, uses local height restrictions to respond to the urban context by providing the building with a significant presence as the rightful termination of the high street .

A combination of old and new methods of using timber give the station an unusual warmth and enables overhead light and large spans.

Another detail worthy of mention is that the underground heating is fed from a nearby hot spring where you can soak up your feet whilst you wait for your train to arrive.