• Aidia Studio has designed a train station for Tulum which will be built on the Tren Maya railway line in Mexico.
  • The design consists of a large, latticed roof, structural steel and glass-reinforced concrete panels.
  • The design is a response to Tulum's extreme climate; the structure involves non-mechanical ventilation.
  • Construction is due to be completed by 2023.

Mexican and English architecture office Aidia Studio has designed a train station for Tulum with a sweeping latticed roof that will be built on the Tren Maya railway line in Mexico.

Aidia Studio designed the perforated roof made from structural steel and glass-reinforced concrete panels to enclose over the platforms and concourse.

this image shows the latticed roof design for the Tulum train station
Aidia Studio has designed a latticed roof for the Tulum train station.
Image: Aidia Studio

The geometric grid will be glazed in places to keep out the rain and lined with wood on the inside.

The studio designed the station to respond to Tulum's climate. The town is on the Yucatan peninsula, which has a tropical climate characterised by high temperatures, humidity and a rainy season.

"To deal with this extreme weather, we envisaged a large open lattice roof, glazed in strategic locations, enabling public semi-open spaces that function without mechanical ventilation," said studio founders Rolando Rodriguez-Leal and Natalia Wrzask.

this is a sky view of the design plan for the new Tulum train station roof
The roof will be made of steel and concrete with some areas of glazing.
Image: Aidia Studio

Smaller openings in areas that receive the midday sun are worked into the roof's pattern, which is designed to create shady spots and allow sea breezes to waft through the station.

The roof is highest in the middle to accommodate a second level of shops and restaurants on a mezzanine level over the railway lines and platforms.

Have you read?

this ground-level perspective of the new station shows how the roof ends will frame the trains entering and exiting the station
The roof ends will frame the trains entering and exiting the station.
Image: Aidia Studio

It raises at both ends to create a dramatic entrance and exit for trains and dips down again on either side.

"The motifs on both outer and inner sides are reminiscent of Mayan traditional geometrical patterns," explained Aidia Studio.

this view of inside the station shows how the latticed roof design will allow sunlight and air inside it
The latticed roof will allow sunlight and breezes into the station.
Image: Aidia Studio

Tulum is famous for its Mayan ruins and pristine Caribbean coastline, which has made it an increasingly popular travel destination.

Aidia Studio said they were keen to ensure the station took up as little space as possible in the landscape.

"An eye-shaped footprint, widest at the centre where the main functions of the station converge, seemed the most efficient use of space," they explained.

"This was enhanced by taking the least possible area adjacent to the tracks and compensating by stacking the public programme of the station above the platforms."

this image shows the design plan for a mezzanine level with shops and restaurants which will bridge the platforms of the Tulum train station
A mezzanine level with shops and restaurants will bridge the platforms of the Tulum train station
Image: Aidia Studio

The station is part of Tren Maya, a plan to build a 1,525-kilometre intercity railway across the Yucatan Peninsula in a loop between Palenque and Cancún. This station would serve the Cancún to Tulum stretch of the line.

What is the World Economic Forum doing on natural climate solutions?

The world faces converging environmental crises: the accelerating destruction of nature, and climate change.

Natural climate solutions (NCS) – investment in conservation and land management programmes that increase carbon storage and reduce carbon emissions – offer an important way of addressing both crises and generate additional environmental and social benefits.

Research conducted for the Forum’s Nature and Net Zero report confirms estimates that NCS can provide one-third of the climate mitigation to reach a 1.5° and 2° pathway by 2030—and at a lower cost than other forms of carbon dioxide removal. This report builds on the recommendations from the Taskforce for Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, and identifies six actions to accelerate the scale-up of high-quality NCS and unlock markets through the combined efforts of business leaders, policymakers and civil society.

To foster collaboration, in 2019 the Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development came together to establish the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance to convene public and private stakeholders with the purpose of identifying opportunities and barriers to investment into NCS.

NCS Alliance member organizations provided expert input to develop the Natural Climate Solutions for Corporates, a high-level guide to the credible use of NCS credits by businesses.

Get in touch to join our mission to unleash the power of nature.

Construction on the Tulum train station is due to start in January 2022 and complete by the end of 2023.

Recent projects in the coastal town include a pink apartment complex, holiday residences with rooftop pools and a bamboo yoga pavilion.