Tulum train station, Tren Maya railway line Building, Riviera Maya México Architecture Images
Tulum Train Station Building
June 28, 2021
Architects: AIDIA STUDIO
Location: Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico

The station sits in the beach resort of Tulum, in the Mexican Caribbean, along the Riviera Maya. The primary goal in the design process was to push the sustainability agenda to the foreground and to find in that optimized performance a narrative which would speak about the qualities of pre-Hispanic Mayan Architecture through the use of light, shadows, patterns, materials and vegetation.

Tulum Train Station Building in Mexico
One of the key elements was to minimise the footprint of the station, so after exploring different spatial configurations, an eye shaped footprint, widest at the centre, where the main functions converge, seemed the most efficient use of space. This was enhanced by stacking the public programme of the station above the platforms deriving in a more compact scheme, connected across levels with vertical circulation and featuring a grand hall flooded with light and natural ventilation.
Another key priority during the design process was the user experience, ease of mobility, orientation and the presence of natural light. The linear configuration of the station and the symmetry naturally help, this was assisted by the roof geometry which intuitively navigates users towards the centre of the station.

In laying out the commercial component, we aimed to design...