The new steel-glass architecture of passenger service centres on expressways in Japan

Nowadays, modern expressways worldwide are becoming very important arteries for the quick and safe transportation of people and goods. Service centres are located along these roads for the convenience of drivers and passengers. Those centres consist of buildings and other infrastructure elements and provide various services. Usually, buildings represent contemporary trends in architecture and structural engineering. Steel and glass are widely used. This is also the case in Japan but, simultaneously, adequate approaches are being made to respect the country's own traditions as well. This paper is a continuation of the authors' previous publications [1], [2], [3] devoted, respectively, to buildings, railway stations and air terminals.