Zaha Hadid Architects among competition winners for new Moscow Metro Stations

In Moscow, the search for architectural teams to design two new metro stations has concluded with the selection of the final competition winners: a consortium led by Zaha Hadid Architects was chosen to take on the "Klenoviy Bulvar 2" station on the Biryulyovskaya line, and Russian ASADOV Architectural Bureau will be realizing the "Prospekt Marshala Zhukova" station on the Rublyovo-Arkhangelskaya line. 

The two-stage international competition, initiated by Moscow Metro development program operator Mosinzhproekt JSC, had previously narrowed down the field of design submissions to five finalists per station. The jury, chaired by Andrey Bochkarev, Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Moscow Government for Urban Planning Policy and Construction, then determined the two winning projects for implementation.

Klenoviy Bulvar 2 by Zaha Hadid Architects (London, UK) in collaboration with A-project, Krost (Moscow, Russia); Arup Lighting (London, UK); Systematica s.l.r (Milan, Italy)

"Zaha Hadid Architects offers a next-gen look for the Klenovy Bulvar 2 station, with special design methods that impact the passengers’ perception of the station in unprecedented ways," explains the project description. "Elegant, weightless, transparent, full of light, and clean lines – the station will provide comfort and reduce the stress associated with living in a metropolis. Lighting is one of the project’s essential elements: the dynamic system of regulating the light’s tint will help announce an incoming train. A bright space with tall ceilings and smooth pillars, designed to look like arrow heads and blending into trails of light to reflect three-dimensional motion, allow for the station to be kept well-lit and visually indicates the platform edge."

Prospekt Marshala Zhukova by ASADOV ARCHITECTURAL BUREAU LLC (Moscow, Russia)

"The architectural solution for the Prospekt Marshala Zhukova station is based on the design of the Great Patriotic War medal: a symbol of courage, valor, and heroism. The concept offered by the ASADOV Architectural Bureau uses ruby-tinted light, golden accents, and sharp geometric patterns. The white-trimmed red star and its golden rays are brought together to evoke the image of a memorial stele. The dark sidewalls symbolize the tragedy of war and also make the station visually more spacious. Lighting also has a huge role to play. The delicate threads of golden light weave into a geometric pattern on the ceiling. The ruby glow of the columns’ glass sections makes the interior even more magnificent. The entrance pavilions are shaped like giant red triangles, which not only make the station’s entrance more visible, but also carry special meaning: their design harkens back to the arrows on war maps."

ZHA has secured several projects in Russia in recent years, winning competitions for a new planned 'smart city' near Moscow, the new Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Concert Hall, the Sberbank Technopark, and the nine-building Admiral Serebryakov Embankment master plan along Russia's Black Sea coast.