This unique train station was designed to meet the impossible challenge of creating not just a modern train station, but also a community bomb shelter, protecting commuters from frequent bombing.

The welcoming and pleasant facility serves the public along a newly constructed rail track connecting the town of Sderot, Israel for the first time to the rail network. The 3,000 sqm station is composed of a passenger hall, a 100m long pedestrian passage, partly under an adjacent highway and a second roofed hall over the center of the train platforms.

Led by Ami Shinar, together with a project team from Kedem Shinar and Martin Neiman, the structure was inspired by an earthly creature emerging from the ground. Built of 50 cm thick concrete walls and roofs, with no openings towards the relevant directions, the firm created a series of folded geometric white concrete cladded “scales”, which lay on top of the heavy reinforced skeleton, creating a unique and protective exterior.

Ami Shinar, Partner in Charge

Project Team: Kedem Shinar, Martin Neiman

Photos: Yael Engelmier, Gal Dern, Dana Polo

See more: Archdaily, November 22, 2014