The station is located 2 kilometers northwest of Wakayama University on the island of Honshu: it was built primarily to provide students and teachers with convenient access to this most important educational center of the country. The station appeared on one of Japan's two main railway lines, Nankai, connecting vast rural areas with Osaka. The new building was inaugurated in April 2012 as part of a large-scale development program for the surrounding area, which also included the construction of a new bus terminal, hotel, shopping center and about 150 houses.
The developer turned out to be a big fan of Western architecture, so he challenged the architectural bureau Nikken Sekkei to design the entire new complex, including the station, in the spirit of a European city. The architects accepted this professional challenge, and cleverly and subtly walked along the stylistic and contextual boundaries. The main tool for creating an architectural image was the material they chose - ceramic bricks from the largest British manufacturer IBSTOCK.
On the one hand, brick dominates the local development, which links the new station to the environment. On the other hand, it took a very close interaction with the IBSTOCK group of factories to select exactly those types of bricks that would make the building look "western".
The choice fell on the hand-molded brick, which compares favorably in quality with the locally produced wire-cut bricks, which are widespread in Japan. At the same time, they managed to get into the rich palette of red shades typical for the development of Wakayama.
The project's chief architect, Keiichi Okamoto, opted for a combination of Bradgate Regal and Grosvenor Autumn Flame. Along with typical Japanese brick decor techniques, additional horizontal divisions are extended on the facade, which more strongly reveal the texture of the already expressive - thanks to the material - walls. The accentuated seams of the masonry also work to complicate the texture. In addition, in the case of Wakayama Station, where the architectural intent is largely revealed through the material, the high quality of the brick also ensures the aesthetic quality of the project.
Brick is traditional for many countries of the world, a very grateful material. Its inherent texture makes it a valuable artistic tool, and its wide decorative possibilities make it possible to do without additional finishing. In the project of the Wakayama University station, not only the composition of the structure and the interpretation of its elements remind of Europe: it is the IBSTOCK brick that evokes associations with brick Gothic and Western industrial architecture of the 2nd half of the 19th century. Thanks to its original architectural design, the new station of Wakayama University immediately became a local landmark and attracts tourists. In addition, its introduction has reduced travel times for many travelers, which contributes to the prosperity of the surrounding area.
The IBSTOCK brick factories group, the oldest brick manufacturer in England, traditionally supplies its products not only to Europe, but also to many countries of the world. In Russia, the IBSTOCK factories are represented by the Kirill company, which offers Russian designers 256 bricks of different colors and textures of English brick models for a variety of projects.
