Xi’an Train Station: Competition Proposal

Xi’an Train Station is a 2020 competition proposal for a mixed-use transit hub in Xi’an, China. The scheme brings a railway station, hotel, offices and retail together beneath an undulating roof. Its organization responds to the irregular plot, oblique street boundaries and existing railway alignment. Changes in roof height distinguish the principal volumes while giving the complex a continuous architectural expression.

Location          Xi'an, China
Client            Xi'An Train
Type              Mixed-Use Transit Hub — Competition Entry
Program           Train Station, Hotel, Offices, Retail, Waiting Halls
Status            Competition Proposal
Year              2020
Principal         Ibrahim Nawaf Joharji
Scope             Urban Infrastructure, Environmental Performance, Civic Identity

The proposal considers the station as both transport infrastructure and a civic building. Rather than treating the railway hall as an isolated object, it connects passenger facilities with uses that address the surrounding streets. The roof provides a shared identity for these different parts without concealing their individual functions.

A continuous roof brings the station, hotel, offices and retail into a shared architectural composition.

White digital model of Xi’an Train Station showing folded roof surfaces and arched openings. — Roof form study showing the proposal’s undulating surfaces and openings. © INJ Architects

The roof is the main organizing element of the design. Its changing profile defines the scale of the halls below, while glazed openings bring daylight into the interior and establish views across the public spaces. These are design intentions illustrated by the competition studies, not measured claims about the performance of a completed building.

The programme is arranged from street to rail. The hotel forms the frontage, with offices occupying the intermediate zone. Shops and passenger facilities sit closer to the railway, connecting the public approach with waiting areas and platforms. The massing diagram identifies these uses separately and traces movement between them.

Architectural visualization of Xi’an Train Station with curved roof volumes, glazed entrances and people in the forecourt. — Forecourt perspective showing the relationship between the roof profile, entrances and public approach. © INJ Architects

Exploded axonometric drawing of Xi’an Train Station separating curved roof elements from the plan below. — Exploded axonometric study separating the roof geometry from the underlying plan. © INJ Architects

Interior visualization of Xi’an Train Station with passengers beneath a curved ceiling and broad glazed openings. — Concourse visualization showing the curved ceiling, glazing and shared passenger space. © INJ Architects

The arrival sequence develops through changes in enclosure, height and visibility. At the forecourt, the roof rises around glazed entrances. Inside, the concourse opens beneath a curved ceiling and broad areas of glazing. The interior study describes a shared passenger space in which the roof and openings provide orientation.

The glazed envelope maintains a visual relationship between the concourse and the forecourt. The project is presented here through competition drawings, massing studies and architectural visualizations. Material specifications, structural design and environmental performance would require further technical development and verification before construction.

Dusk visualization of Xi’an Train Station with illuminated glazed entrances facing a broad forecourt. — View across the forecourt at dusk, with the glazed entrances visible beneath the roof. © INJ Architects

Colour-coded diagram of Xi’an Train Station identifying hotel, office, shops and train station volumes with red movement arrows. — Programme diagram distinguishing the hotel, office, retail and station volumes and the movement between them. © INJ Architects

Axonometric site view of Xi’an Train Station showing the roof form, surrounding roads, forecourt and railway lines. — Site axonometric locating the station between its public approach, surrounding streets and railway alignment. © INJ Architects

Exploded axonometric of Xi’an Train Station with the roof raised above the floor plan and railway lines. — Exploded view relating the overall roof form to the plan and railway alignment below. © INJ Architects

Wireframe study of Xi’an Train Station with a bold black arrow running across the roof geometry. — Wireframe study highlighting a principal movement axis through the proposed complex. © INJ Architects

Elevated visualization of Xi’an Train Station showing its curved roof and glazed facade against an evening sky. — Elevated perspective showing the roof as a continuous composition across the proposed station complex. © INJ Architects

Related transport proposals include Chicago CTA Stations and Mushroom Whale Port. Together, these projects explore the relationship between passenger movement, public space and infrastructure. The office’s design process is outlined in How We Work, with information on initiating a commission in Bespoke Architecture. Related project: Tourbanity.