Concept for the ceiling art in our competition entry for the interior design of the standard stations in Line 14 of Shenzhen Metro in China is based on ecology. It focuses on two key themes: Shenzhen as a ‘City of a Thousand Parks’ and Shenzhen as one of China’s pilot ‘Sponge Cities’.

The ecosystem of elements in nature is interpreted and applied within the urban context of Shenzhen as the mix of elements that will create a ‘sponge city’. Our proposed concept represents this symbiosis of green and built land, combined with other elements of nature that will contribute to the city’s ecology and ecosystems.

Rather than using an abstract map, we have used the map of parks in Shenzhen to visualize this ecosystem. All the elements of the ecology-based design start from the two sides of the station hall and come together at the centre of the space to form the representation of the city.

We are collaborating with Jiang & Associates Design (J&A) on a new generation of stations in various cities in China which go beyond functional and regulatory requirements to change people’s expectations of what metro stations can offer to visitors. The stations are designed to be memorable spaces that provoke emotions, not merely points of transit. Each station has a unique concept that explores and interprets in its form, texture and materials the local culture of the area in which it is located.