Kyoto Station Building

The architect Hiroshi Hara won an international invited competition for the design, and his plan took the final vote over James Stirling's by seven votes to four. Objections to taller buildings in the old capital shaped the result, which stays low and is split along the north-south streets to keep sight lines open. The glass-clad, futuristic facade earned an encouragement prize at the Brunel Awards. Beneath the bus terminal in front lies Porta, the city's first underground shopping arcade, connected to the subway ticket gates.