STATION 20 / Competition / 1ts prize
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Program: exterior and interior proposal for metro station 20 of Sofia metro system
Architect: Aleksandar Shinolov
Client: Municipality of Sofia
Year: 2011
Site Area: 12500 m2; Grоss Floor Area: 5000 m2; Bldg. Scale: Stories above Ground 0, Stores below Ground 2; Structure: reinforced concrete; Materials: cast concrete, alu glazing, white alu cladding; Max. Height: 3.20m;
Design concept:
The main feature of the plot, housing the underground station is its cruciform shape with axes respectively: north-south, on which the subway tunnel and Krastyo Pastuhov Blvd. are oriented and east-west, on which green walkways and recreational areas are formed. Multiplication of each of these two axes creates linear structure, which strongly emphasizes the general direction of movement as a reference to dynamic, speed and endlessness. The next stage in the development of the urban environment is the extrusion of line segments which forms a stripe composition.
The resulting stripes become rows of trees, green areas, benches, wooden pavement …etc. Two of these stripes undergoing deformations due functional and aesthetical need generate the shape of the station. Lifting the both ends of the stripes provides the entrances of the station while the twisted middle enables natural light to invade in each level. Light becomes a natural visual reference for the vertical circulation of passengers.
The dynamic amorphous form penetrating the interior contrasts with the silent look and removes the boundary between in and out.
The silhouette of the metro station is elongated and low, it is delicately present in the surrounding urban environment.
