INTUITIVE LIGHTING DESIGN GUIDES COMMUTERS IN NEW MOSCOW METRO STATION

The design incorporates lines of light on the ceiling and the floors which act as wayfinding tools | Photo source Zaha Hadid Architects

A new metro station designed for use in Moscow features wayfinding elements that use light and shape to help users navigate

Moscow is well-known for its metro stations. Built during the Stalin era, they were designed to showcase Russian exceptionalism, and many were adorned with marble columns and floors, chandeliers, ornate mosaics and statues. However, Moscow is still growing, and as the metro expands, new stations are constantly being built. One new station, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), aims to impress, not with marble, but with an intuitive layout and navigation aids. The new station, Klenoviy Boulevard Station 2, ZHA will act as an interchange between the orbital Bolshaya Koltsevaya Line and the future Biryulevskaya Line, which connects Kuryanovo and Biryulyovo districts directly with the city centre. It will include a series of columns that are shaped to “express instances of the same form

being marginally distorted as it moves through space.” The slight variations in form of each column act as arrows that alert users of the distance from the centre of the platform. The design also incorporates lines of light on the ceiling and the floors which act as wayfinding tools, provide functional lighting and signify platform edges. Dynamic lighting on the platforms also adjusts to inform waiting passengers of a train’s impending arrival. According to ZHA, “the design incorporates new innovations in lighting and passenger information systems to define the next generation of stations on Moscow’s renowned metro system.” ZHA won the contract to design the station following an international competition, but construction has not yet been finalised.

Technology and design are making transportation not only more efficient but also more intuitive and easier to use. Written By: Lisa Magloff Website: zaha-hadid.com www.luminescencetechnologies.net arunbhatia2005@gmail.com www.arunbhatiaconsulting.com