Consortium of London-based practice Architects of Invention (AI) and Nowadays of Moscow has submitted a design proposal for Metro Station. 5 teams were shortlisted to enter an international competition.

The Idea

The station design is based on a consistent repetition of round sectors that make up the column that frame the platform. They combine an architectural element, engineering systems (ventilation) and a light source.

Columns remind of various telescopic devices and products - antennas, mechanical "legs" of construction or space vehicles. It is a dedication to the mechanistic, retro-futuristic beauty of Moscow underground.

Light and color

Blue, red and silver make up the palette of the project. The prevailing blue on the platform, combined with red, lends the space a sporty vitality. The soft silver light poured into the underground lobby creates a clean space in which it is equally pleasant to find yourself, both at the beginning and at the end of the path.

Design Consistency

The entire design of the station is based on the repetition of a single element - a thin aluminum tube. From the walls of the underground vestibule along the escalators, it descends onto the columns of the platform and turns into a giant pipe of the underground station.

All parts of the station are subject to a single color logic. Red accents accompany all parts of the station, from the outdoor pavilion to the platform. The outdoor pavilion is dominant blue with red accents; the lobby is an all-white and silver space with red accents; the station hall is a kind of culmination - an active combination of blue, red and white.

The Space

46 identical columns create an impressive space united by a single technique. A row of columns reproduces the image of mechanical sliding legs that go down and merge with the white floor. The contact points of the elements are highlighted with red light. The color design is based on the gradual transition from dark blue to light silver-white, from top to bottom, which seems to dissolve the columns in space as they approach the floor.