Construction of Japan’s largest maintenance Shinkansen station building: membrane ceiling at Tsuruga Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line

Floating design based on the white sails of a Kitamae ship

(Tokyo headquarters: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; Osaka headquarters: Yodogawa-ku, Osaka; President: Yumi Nomura; hereafter “Taiyo Kogyo”), a company involved in large-scale membrane surface structures (tent structures) and civil engineering and logistics materials, has installed a membrane ceiling on the second floor concourse of Tsuruga Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen*1 (maintained by Japan Railway and Transportation Agency and operated by West Japan Railway Company), which opens on March 16, 2024 (Saturday). Ltd.), which opened on March 16, 2024 (Saturday).

 

The design concept of Tsuruga Station for the Hokuriku Shinkansen is “floating in the sky – a station surrounded by nature and overlooking the harbor,” and the roof is designed to resemble the flapping wings of the Tsuruga City bird “Eureka Gull. The waiting room and other buildings on the Shinkansen platform floor are designed in the image of a ship’s cockpit, and the central area of the platform commands a view of Tsuruga Bay.

To express the character of Tsuruga City, famous as a port of call for the Kitamae Ship, which was recognized as a Japanese Heritage in 2017, the Shinkansen platform on the third floor and The second-floor transfer concourse, which connects the Shinkansen platform on the third floor and the conventional train platform on the first floor, features a membrane ceiling that evokes the white sails of a Kitamae-ship and a sense of floating, creating a space with a sense of scale appropriate for a large concourse.

Membrane ceilings for highly expressive spaces

Membrane ceilings are light, soft, and strong, making them not only safe and secure, but also beautiful and comfortable. Instead of heavy and hard conventional ceilings, membrane ceilings enable soft designs and can be freely printed with graphics. By giving a suitable expression to various spaces, the expressive power of the space can be further enhanced.

Membrane ceilings draw attention due to successive ceiling falls

In the Great East Japan Earthquake, damage from falling ceilings was reported one after another in buildings with large spaces such as gymnasiums, theaters, commercial facilities, and factories*2, drawing attention to the need for earthquake-resistant nonstructural components such as ceiling materials. With a mass of approximately 600g/m2, the membrane material is extremely lightweight compared to conventional ceiling materials. The flexible membrane material not only enhances the interior design, but also reduces the risk of ceiling fallout because it can follow large shaking (deformation) during earthquakes. Furthermore, even though the material is only 1 mm thick, it is strong enough to catch falling objects. These advantages have led to the active use of membrane ceilings in the renewal and construction of school facilities, gymnasiums, indoor swimming pools, and other facilities.

<注釈>

※1 北陸新幹線の延伸に伴い、金沢駅から敦賀駅にかけて新たに6つの駅が新設されました。敦賀駅は北陸新幹線の新しい終着駅であり、高さ約37mの駅舎は国内最大規模の整備新幹線駅舎となります。

※2 東日本大震災での天井落下の被害件数:国土交通省発表の「建築被害を踏まえた建築基準の検証・見直しへの対応」によると約2,000件の被害が報告されています。

 

<参考>

膜天井は、「脱落によって重大な危害を生ずる恐れがある」とされる「特定天井」(国土交通省告示771号、平成25年8月)ではありません。

Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga Station Construction Overview

-Construction period (overall): January 2020 – January 2024

-Construction period (membrane structure): November 2022 – February 2023

-Scale (total membrane area): 3,800 m2

About Taiyo Kogyo Corporation

太陽工業は、経済性、施工性、透光性、デザイン性に優れた大型膜面構造物のリーディングカンパニーです。「膜の無限の可能性を引き出し、お客さまに感動と快適な環境をお届けします。」の企業理念のもと、軽くて丈夫な素材の特性を活かし、巨大ドームの屋根に象徴される各種建築事業をはじめ、土木や物流、さらには環境分野などにも事業を展開し社会の安全・安心を支えています。

イベントコンサルティングのTSP太陽株式会社ならびに施設運営のアクティオ株式会社をはじめとするグループ会社とともに「世界を、やわらかく。未来を、あたたかく。」することを目指しています。

Press photos can be downloaded here.

For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact

Public Relations Department, Taiyo Kogyo Corporation Phone: 06-6306-3033

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