Play of forms and magic of color: architects speak about concepts, ideas and secrets of the most beautiful new BCL stations

The Big Circle Line (BCL) was fully launched on the first day of March, and in the two months, the new stations have already managed to catch the fancy of Muscovites. Thanks to the poll of the Active Citizen project, Moscow residents shared their opinion on the best design of platforms and lobbies. The Maryina Roscha project was recognized as the most attractive architectural solution, the Rizhskaya project ranked second, and the Nagatinsky Zaton project took third place.

“It would be no exaggeration to say that the most beautiful stations were built thanks to the competitive practice, which gives rise to new ideas and names and allows specialists to find the optimal balance between an interesting, stylish and attractive design solution and a reasonable investment. All participants gain considerable experience. We put great emphasis not only on architect firms, but also on approaches to construction, collaboration with contractors and some new developments. Most importantly, now there are beautiful stations that people come to see from all over the world both in the downtown Moscow and in more remote areas. This work is essential for the city development,” said Sergei Kuznetsov, Moscow's Chief Architect.

The architects who worked on the winning projects spoke about how the design of the stations was created, what inspired the specialists, and how the projects were implemented.

Nagatinsky Zaton: images from the deep and a river foam illusion

The distinguishing features of Nagatinsky Zaton station, which took the third place, are originality and unique beauty. Its appearance is inspired by the river inhabitants of the Moscow region. That is why mosaic panels featuring fish images became the main elements of decoration. The station was designed by a Moscow-based architect firm called Za Bor Architects. The project won an international competition.

“While working on the station project, we intended to make a reference to the area and the water theme. That is why we focused on river inhabitants. We started pondering on how to implement this idea stylistically and realized that we had to build the Nagatinsky Zaton underground museum. We chose the fish that are found here, and then we had to depict them realistically,” says Arseniy Borisenko, managing partner of the architect firm.

To find out what is found in Nagatinsky Zaton (backwater), experts conducted a study. Then the specialists selected the most recognizable species. They are bream, crucian carp, goby, Chinese sleeper, chub, pike, bleak, burbot, perch, pikeperch, roach and small tadpole.

All the 12 panels adorn the platform walls, each having a different size. The largest mosaic panel is The Pike (14.0m x 3.6m), as the pike is much larger than other fish presented in nature. “Tadpole is the smallest; it was placed a little lower than the others so that children could take pictures of it. Located in a hidden place, it is not easily visible, so this is our so-called Easter Egg," emphasizes Arseniy Borisenko.

The author of all the panels made of cobalt glass and stone is muralist Maksim Kozlov. He drew sketches and, together with his team, made a mosaic.

“Our task was to make scientifically realistic fish images and creatively represent them. To do this, we used mixed media: we did not just lay out the same type of stone and cobalt glass cubes, but created a pattern from different-sized and multi-colored individual details. Different texture, size and shades make the fish seem three-dimensional and real. For example, the Chinese sleeper features a complex color palette: blue-green interspersed with pink, purple and yellow,” says Maksim Kozlov.

The idea of the architects was embodied in the lobby design. The passage from the entrance pavilion to the ticket office was decorated with the same fish that are shown on the panel, but smaller ones. Specialists used a rare technique of stone intarsia: they made recesses in marble and filled them with a strong composition, giving the appearance of river inhabitants.

The highlight of the entrance to the lobby is the large golden ceiling in the form of giant scales. It was created using 3D modeling, with the details manually attached to special rails. The ceiling features over 26,000 decorative elements.

Another highlight is the escalator lightning. The balustrade lamps were installed at different heights. Reflected in the dark glossy walls, they create a river foam illusion.

Nagatinsky Zaton appeals to every passenger. In my opinion, it is one of the most attractive metro facilities, perhaps the most unusual metro station,” emphasizes Maksim Kozlov.

Materials unique for metro construction are used to decorate BCL stations

Rizhskaya: place and time portals

The design of Rizhskaya station was selected following the results of an international architecture competition. The project was designed Blank Architects. The firm proposed to make luminous arches the main element of the station.

“We intended to combine history with architecture and make the station modern. Rizhskaya is located on the square of the same name, where the entrance to the city was historically located, while remaining an important transport hub of the Russian capital to this day. Large metal arches reflect the concept of a city portal and are a fairly recognizable element,” says Vladimir Tikhonov, Head of the Unique Architecture and Urban Planning Department in the bureau.

Sixteen luminous arches were installed on the platform, eight on each side. Passengers can go through them to get on a train. The arches, four meters high, are made of stainless steel. Interestingly, the arch shape is very unusual, similar to a canopy stretched upwards. Such futurism is deliberate: plain and straight arches compress space, while this kind of design makes the space dynamic and open.

Light arch panels also play an important role, reflecting off the granite floor and turning the space under the vault into a portal. Walking under such a construction, passengers can imagine that they travel through time and space, from the central hall to the platform lines.

When decorating the station, architects used only neutral colors: white, gray, brown. “It is important that the station design utilizes no more than three colors, otherwise attention can be distracted. We have selected the most comforting shades,” emphasizes Vladimir Tikhonov.

Tunnel walls of Rizhskaya and Maryina Roscha stations were left open. According to the architects’ idea, they show the diversity of the design. Passengers can see cast-iron tubing on the wall, which are usually hidden. Each tubing weighs more than a ton; the builders delivered them through mineshafts to a depth of more than 60 meters. Such a solution was first used at Savyolovskaya station of the BCL northwestern section.

“Seeing the big picture, we realized that it looked even better than we expected. I believe that we succeeded because we had realized that millions of people would use the station for many years. When designing the stations, we focused both on functionality and creative approach,” notes the interlocutor of mos.ru.

Maryina Roscha: round shapes and grandeur of marble

The architectural and artistic appearance of Maryina Roscha, recognized by Muscovites as the most beautiful new BCL station, was developed by AI-architects, the winner of an international competition. The design project was based on the location: it is the deepest BCL station and it has the longest escalator in the Moscow metro (130 meters).

“When designing lobbies, we used simple forms; the station pavilion is made in the form of a parallelepiped. We installed large stainless steel ellipsoids near the entrance. We tried to convey the uniqueness of Maryina Roscha’s location with the form of the platform columns, resembling slightly flattened figures, as if a large layer of earth is pressing on them from above,” says Aleksandr Tomashenko, managing partner of the architect firm.

The Maryina Roscha platform section consists of three halls separated from each other by 10 unusual rounded pylons, each being a complex structure. First, the builders erected concrete pylons and created a special metal frame, and then fixed marble slabs on them, which were previously sawn and sculpted, giving the details the desired roundness. Each pylon has 156 such elements.

When developing the project, the authors were inspired by the works of Soviet master architects, studied the architecture of existing stations to preserve the monumentality familiar to passengers in Maryina Roscha. To do this, craquelure, a mechanical engraving with the effect of small cracks, was applied to the marble pylons.

Granite, one of the most durable materials, was used for flooring. In addition to the walls of Savyolovskaya station of the BCL, the walls of Maryina Roscha were left open so that passengers could see the cast-iron tubing. They were installed to reinforce the tunnel walls. The authors of the project highlighted the contrast between the monumental light pylons and the dark frame of the walls.

When designing the station, the architects were focused not only on shades, coatings and materials, but also on the platform lighting.

“We had to hide direct light as it irritates eyes: it is uncomfortable for passengers, and most importantly, it is unsafe for drivers, so we installed the lighting in cornices. In addition, we directed almost all the light sources upwards, which made it possible to visually enlarge the space due to the play of light on the domed surfaces,” the architect notes.

Thanks to neutral colors, simple forms and architectural lighting, waiting for a train becomes pleasant and comfortable for passengers.

“We are happy with the result. We managed to implement our plans, convey a sense of calm and comfort, along with historical monumentality. This is a reward for an architect,” emphasizes Aleksandr Tomashenko.

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