Metro Three's interior design was a design icon of the '70s and '80s, before the concept itself even existed. Contemporary, poppy, fun, futuristic solutions, colours, shapes, surfaces and furnishings of its time have since been swept away by the permanent retro wave. The technical iron discipline of wall-to-wall reconstruction condemns these details to total destruction. What can be done?
Rebuilding is no longer an option, the technology and the will no longer exist. The logic of the demolition process suggests another way. Removing the slatted ceilings, wall and column coverings reveals the true face of the metro, the real structures, the tunnels, the tubings, the steel plate insulation, the shotcrete, the Mannesmann gun barrel, hitherto only visible in tunnels and factory spaces. In fact, we are ready. What goes back in doesn't cover, it just highlights the structure, it hints, it brings a new dynamism. Nothing touches anything, everything floats, runs, stops, accelerates, slows down, moves.
The original, pre-reconstruction use of materials in the Corvin quarter metro station was the rational use of metal sheeting and fibre cement slabs. The surfaces of the enclosures were defined by the colours metro blue and white, complemented by stainless steel pillar covers and, as a complement, orange plastic benches and handles. Despite the dominance of simple and functional finishes, the station was still in keeping with the dynamics of the journey, using bold colours and characterful materials in the right proportions and in the right places.
The architectural concept was also rethought as part of the reconstruction. The new concept was developed based on the original, idealised appearance of the station, with the technical aspects at the forefront of the entire line reconstruction. From the outset, the thinking sought a link with the original structures, and the surfaces and artefacts previously concealed during the demolition work that was underway provided further inspiration. The architectural concept, created within the strict framework of the reconstruction, combines functionality with the vibrancy and surfaces of the original enclosures.
The architectural concept is based on loosely connected passenger compartment enclosures that fit the existing, complex geometry of the supporting structure. The enclosures act as splays, facilitating passenger flow, accommodating the equipment required by the complex function and providing views of the metro's exciting tunnel structures at several points. The suspended ceilings, with their white colours, orange inserts and moving light fittings, can be interpreted as a blurred image of the original station, with the alternation of transparency and louvres creating a strong dynamic. The wall cladding frames the passenger compartment in a ribbon-like pattern, using colours reminiscent of the metro blue fibre cement cladding, but in different positions in the equally characteristic orange. They also counterbalance the dynamics of the suspended ceiling, responding to points of tension by changing colour or plane.
An important element of the architectural appearance of the station is the use of materials and the emphasis on the original existing structures and surfaces. In this station, the material-coloured fine concrete benches, which are one of the unifying architectural elements of the reconstruction of the line section, refer back to the alternating colour scheme of the original, characteristic plastic seat blue. The cast-iron jacketing on the columns, which is one of the most important structural elements of the station, is now visible as a granular surface as part of the special structural function. The natural aluminium foam cable cladding with station name lettering, which also helps to inform passengers, further enhances the serenity of the strip-like wall cladding in the track space.
Team:
Architecture: sporaarchitects Kft., Hatvani Ádám, Dékány Tibor, Czigléczki Attila
Architect Team: Botta László, Ungerhoffer Dániel, Pomázi Dorottya
General Design: PARAGRAM Stúdió Kft. Csapó Balázs, Germán Tibor, Erő Zoltán (PALATIUM)
Accessibility: Szabó Henriett, Babits Bernadett
Bench: VPI Kft. Nagy-Mihály Márk, Juhász Rozália, Vajda Szabolcs, Balog Kálmán
Signalisation: PARAGRAM Stúdió Kft. Bukovics Zoltán, Dávid Gábor, Polonyi Viktor, Csapó Balázs, Hartmann Gergely (PALATIUM), Szilágyi Klára (PALATIUM)
General Design, Engineering: FŐMTERV Zrt. Kovács László Pap Zsuzsanna
Photographer: Danyi Balázs
