Stations of Change: Architecture in Transit

Abstract

In this paper, Agošton reflects on over four decades of architectural practice shaped by his education in Sarajevo and enriched through work across six continents. He focuses particularly on the design of transit stations as essential civic spaces — structures that go beyond their functional role to become places of cultural identity, social encounter, and everyday ritual. Drawing from projects such as the Dubai Metro and Toronto’s Sheppard West Station, he shares how his approach has evolved to balance efficiency with empathy, and technical precision with contextual meaning. Transit architecture, in his experience, offers a unique opportunity to create infrastructure that is not only resilient and sustainable, but also human-centered and democratic. Through this reflection, he advocates for a design philosophy that listens deeply to place, people, and culture, and invites architects to consider how infrastructure can help shape soulful and inclusive cities in an era of rapid urban transformation.