Why It's Unique:
T-Centralen Station--Stockholm,
Subway stations can
Sweden
be dark and dreary
Background: T-Centralen is the only
and waste precious
station in the system where all of the
energy on sufficient
lines of the Stockholm Metro meet. On
lighting. Nielsen
the typical day, the station sees around
believes that daylight
220,000 passengers passing through,
in a station can
making it the busiest stop on the system.
enhance rider
experience."If you can
Why It's Unique: The Stockholm Metro
bring in daylight
is often regarded as the longest art
through skylights into
gallery in the world, and the T-Centralen
an underground
Station is no exception--its walls host a
station, that's really
collection of beautiful painted murals.
important to people,"
But the murals aren't the only interesting
he says. "It makes
part of this station: Rather than adding
them feel better.
man-made materials to the walls of the
Sunlight has a very
interior , T -Centralen's design
positive quality." The
incorporates the original cavern walls of
architects of this
the city's rocky core.
station did not take on
this need lightly. St.
Arts and Metiers Station--Paris,
Quirin Platz boasts a
France
completely glass-
Background: Serving the Musee des
made shell overhead,
Arts et Metiers (Museum of Arts and
Crafts), the station is home to two lines
of the Paris Metro, and was redesigned
in 1994.
Why It's Unique: Lying below a
museum rich with unique and innovative
pieces, the Arts and Metiers station
needed to feature a similarly unique
character. "Where the opportunity within
the structural system is really to make an
expressive structure, something that
tells a story or that talks about a
movement or transition, or refers to the
neighborhood, you do things that tie into
the surroundings, that pick up on the
vocabulary of the surrounding
neighborhoods," Nielsen says. Arts and
St. Quirin Platz--Munich, Germany
letting sunlight into every area of the
Metiers, redesigned by comic book artist
Background: Designed by architects
station and allowing the station to be
Francois Suiten in 1994, does just that
Hermann + Ottl, St. Quirin Platz station
integrated into a park. You better grab
by turning its interior into a quirky copper
is on the U1 line of the Munich U-bahn.
your sunglasses if you're getting on the
submarine to honor Jules Verne, author
U-bahn
22
Issue 73 June 2014
2014 73

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