ArcWorld: Architect Kazuyo Sejima to design near-invisible Japanese Express train

Architect Kazuyo Sejima has unveiled her design for a Japanese commuter train with semi-transparent and mirrored surfaces designed to help it blend in with the surrounding landscape.
Sejima – a Pritzker Prize laureate best known for her work with Japanese firm SANAA – was commissioned by the Seibu Group to design a train for the company's 100th anniversary.
The Japanese architect will redesign both the exterior and interior of the company's Red Arrow commuter train.

Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima, Photo by Takashi Okamoto, Courtesy of SANAA

An initial rendering shows a semi-reflective surface covering the exterior of the train – something which the architect claimed had "never been seen before now."
Inside, Seibu said the aim was to make the carriages feel like a "living room", so that passengers can relax whilst travelling.
Her design will be rolled out on a limited number of express-route trains, and is expected to go into service in 2018.
Seibu Group said that the train would be the first designed by Sejima, and that the design aimed to be "soft" and "blend into the landscape". culled