Yokohama opens Sta.R station hub to drive urban circular culture and arts

A new circular culture hub named Sta.R will soon open on 24 August, and will become Yokohama’s first creative hub established outside the central coastal district. It will be launched by Creative Circular City Collective, a collaborative entity formed by Artiql Inc. and Route Design.

The new facilty will be located inside Hoshikawa Station in Yokohama City, which faces mounting environmental pressures regarding resource limits and climate change. Shifting towards a circular city requires embedding sustainable habits into daily lifestyle choices beyond industrial technology. This is what Sta.R will contribute to, redefining the railway station as a destination for community engagement. The facility derives its name from the concept of “R”, representing respect, repair, remake, and recycling, combined with the local identity of Hoshikawa.

The hub integrates three permanent spaces structured to encourage resource circulation and local involvement. The Material Library operates as an archive of regional waste, deadstock, and bio-based materials designed for crafting and research. Complementing this, Я gallery provides an exhibition area that uses art and design to re-examine existing social structures and human relationships with materials. The third space, Re:store, sells locally produced upcycled goods, allowing visitors to incorporate circular products into daily routines.

The interior construction of Sta.R also feature circular principles with the use of local waste and reused fixtures. The facility includes upcycled gymnasium flooring supplied by the City of Yokohama, curtains made from decommissioned fire hoses, counter fixtures built from recycled PET bottle caps, and deadstock ceramic tiles.

Yu Kato, Representative Director of Artiql Inc., stated that establishing a circular society relies on individual creativity to redefine existing resources, and Sta.R serves as a physical site to realise that vision through art and upcycling.

The opening of Sta.R offers a model framework for turning public locations into hubs for urban circularity.