Metro station covered in golden colour in downtown Budapest

Two more stations on the M3 metro line in the city centre will be connected to the metro in January. The designers gave an insight into the conception, explaining their interpretation of the graphic image. The winners of the prestigious tender of STRABAG Art award International were two local artists and a French-Hungarian artist, who designed two perimeter walls on the M3 metro station.

Metro station covered in golden colour

On the underpass level of the redesigned station, the familiar orange colour of more than forty years is a reminder of the past. However, its new shade suggests freshness.

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Descending the escalator, a whole new world of sights is revealed. According to BKV.hu, the designers have chosen colours and graphic motifs for the platform level in reference to the Franciscan order that gave its name to the urban square above the station. The contrast between the subdued, slightly self-effacing brown and the brilliant gold defines the look.

Photo: bkv.hu

The raw steel columns further enrich the aesthetics of the space, while at the same time fitting in with the functionalist tradition of the line. The paving of the track space is designed with a graphic image that relates to the movement that is the essence of the station.

Abstract, airy and serene at once, the design also subtly alludes to the legend of Saint Francis, one of the most precious references in 14th-century Hungarian literature. The legend is a reminder of a lay view of the Church moving away from the idea of the freedom of birds, and in the second part, St Francis prevents the attacks of a wolf.

Photo: Screenshot from YouTube/Metró Felújítási Projekt Igazgatóság

The designers of the metro station are Zsolt Kosztolányi and András Klopp, while Kamilla Réti and Boglárka Somogyi joined the design team to create the bird motif.

Creative ideas for metro station renewal

Another creative idea is a collaboration project between STRABAG és a BKV Ltd. taking place in metro stations. The former has been successful in creating connections between the arts and business, for example, through its annual art award for young artists.

According to artisbusiness.hu, the first tender of STRABAG took place in 1994, but it was only for Austrian citizens – where the registered office of the company was. Fifteen years later, in 2009, the tender was renamed to STRABAG Artaward International, expanding throughout other European countries.

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In June 2022, two Hungarians were among the awarded tenderers. Dániel Bernáth and Ákos Ezer won the prestigious award from among 77 participants in the international competition. Daniel Labrosse‘s works of art are displayed on the perimeter walls of two service rooms. The work had to integrate the specific and at the same time difficult and sometimes harsh elements of the construction industry, the uniqueness of the metro line’s public and the necessity of the metro as a means of transport.

The aim of STRABAG’s metro project was to create a work on one of Hungary’s busiest metro lines that would illustrate the role of the M3 metro line and the ongoing work on the line.

Photo: Screenshot from YouTube/Metró Felújítási Projekt Igazgatóság

Source: bkv.hu, artisbusiness.hu