Passenger Service Center | Urban Office Architecture
For their proposal of the Kinwen passenger terminal, Urban Office Architecture has designed a master plan that includes an iconic straight-edged terminal building. According to the office, the proposal envisages the terminal as the gateway to the city. The proposal plays its role as a gateway that permits passengers and citizens alike to experience water and marine activities. It also integrates into the land and waterscapes.
Courtesy of NRJA
One of the strong elements of the proposal is the overarching piazza that serves as a public space and provides access to the adjacent buildings that house the shopping malls and hotels.
Courtesy of NRJA
The Kinmen Maritime museum proposed in the master plan extends as a volume that hovers over the park. It will provide gallery and exhibition space, a café and auditorium. In terms of spatial organization, from the lower parking area, passengers gain access to the covered piazza underneath the main building or to the departure halls via escalators. Arrivals are on the ground floor while departures are located on the second.
site plan
Conceptually, this dichotomy of seaside and landside is driven through the design of the building. As a result, a “longitudinal spine” runs through it laying credence to this duality. North facing spaces favor the seaside while south facing ones favor the land side. The seaside has large openings while the lad side has smaller ones. This longitudinal axis is expressed materially through a “glass canyon” that lightens naturally the interior of the terminal.
Courtesy of NRJA
The terminal hopes to be a different way of experiencing traveling which will be an avenue to showcase the rich culture of the city of Kinmen.
Courtesy of NRJA
Project info :
Architects : No Rules Just Architecture (NRJA)
Location : Riga, Latvia
Winning proposal for Riga Passenger Terminal project comes from No Rules Just Architecture
Hassan Yakubu is an editor at Arch2O with a deep academic and professional background in architecture, planning, and urban infrastructure. Currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Cornell University, his editorial focus spans climate urbanism, sustainability transitions, and the intersection of infrastructure and STS. Hassan brings a sharp critical lens shaped by fieldwork in Accra and policy research across Africa. With prior experience leading pedagogical initiatives and contributing to architectural practices in Rabat and Accra, his writing brings clarity, academic depth, and a global perspective to contemporary urban issues and design thinking.