EQUiA Koshigaya Phase II East Area

Planning for the east area of Phase II of EQUiA Koshigaya, a station commercial facility located beneath the elevated tracks of Tobu Railway’s Skytree Line Koshigaya Station.
Commercial spaces beneath station viaducts, while functional, tend to feel impersonal, with tenants often asserting their presence solely through individual signage. Consequently, the overall space lacked cohesion, creating a situation where station users were reluctant to venture beyond their intended destination.
Phase II continues the design philosophy established in Phase I, drawing inspiration from the eaves found in traditional post towns along ancient highways. These eaves extended to welcome passing travellers, fostering a sense of continuity within the town and establishing a human scale. This project overlays this eaves concept onto the contemporary station space.
A defining feature of Phase II is its configuration without internal passageways. Traffic naturally decreased the further one moved from the station’s main passage, posing challenges for reaching shops at the periphery. Consequently, the design extends the eaves continuously, drawing both pedestrian flow and sightlines deeper into the station.
Conversely, Phase II includes sections directly facing the station’s internal passageways. As external eaves cannot be installed here, shop façades are glazed, allowing the presence of the shops to be sensed from the station passage. By avoiding solid walls and permitting sightlines through, the commercial presence subtly permeates the transit routes.
Furthermore, timber is employed on the walls facing the station interior, providing material continuity with the eaves space extending along the station exterior. Even where the eaves are interrupted, replacing the timber expression on the walls softens the transition between spaces. This is intended to create a unified perception of a continuous “street” extending from the exterior into the interior.
The timber finishes applied to the eaves and walls impart warmth to the often inorganic spaces beneath the elevated structure and within the station, gently transforming the character of the space from a “place of passage” to a “place where one might linger”.
EQUiA Koshigaya Phase II represents an attempt to reinterpret the role of the eaves in a traditional post town as a welcoming device, within the distinct conditions of the station overpass and the station interior. Employing different techniques for the eaves and walls, it creates continuity through the manipulation of materials and sightlines, thereby reweaving the relationship between people and space.