It certainly doesn't look like your average subway station - but then Karim Rashid is not your average designer.
The southern Italian city of Naples recently inaugurated its new Università metro station, which, unlike many of its drab, uninspiring counterparts around the world, is characterised by expressive colours, curved walls, sculptural columns and high-impact graphics.
MN Metropolitana di Napoli is responsible for the construction of the Naples Underground Line 1, a major infrastructure project designed to resolve urban mobility problems in Naples. The line will include five new "art stations", which will all be conceived by internationally renowned architects and feature functional spaces enhanced by dramatic design features, sculptures, installations and contemporary artwork. Rashid was commissioned to design Università, the first of these five stations.
In the main station area, a massive, flared cylindrical structure made from DuPont Corian acts as the control centre. This contrasts dramatically with the lively pop-art graphics on the floor and wall, the dynamic light cuts on the ceiling and a high-impact Synopsis sculpture. DuPont developed two new tones, lime and pink, in order to satisfy Rashid's characteristically vibrant colour palette.
