Hangzhou South Railway Station

The Hangzhou South railway station is on the high-speed line between Shanghai and Kunming. It is made up of two corresponding elements―the solid plinth and the folded roof above. Rising in a gentle incline from the two station forecourts to the west and east, the plinth levels out at the top where it accommodates the concourse. Below this is a plaza that provides a pedestrian link between two new adjoining parts of the city. The roof covers both the concourse and the 21 platforms, folding downwards to the lower level at the transition to the tracks. Its fenestration bands replicate the irregular pattern of the tracks. The roof was designed as a fifth facade to take account of the fact that the station is surrounded by hills and high-rise buildings from where there is a good view of the roof from above. Whilst the solid plinth is built of reinforced concrete, the roof structure is entirely of steel. It rests on slender cross supports that are arranged along four axes: two of these axes continue through the 84-meter-wide concourse, the middle of which features a 42-meter-wide column-free span. The steel frame substructure can be seen behind the inner lining of rounded slatwork. The floor finish throughout the concourse and on the forecourts consists of light gray Shandong granite.