In San Sebastian in northern Spain, the results of the competition for the design of the metro stations under construction were summed up; more precisely, not the stations themselves, but typical entrances for them. There will be no lobbies familiar to Russia in San Sebastian: a flight of stairs, a roof - that is, in fact, the whole architecture.
The modesty of the task did not affect the level of the participants. This is due to the fact that the architects were given maximum freedom, they were offered to invent some kind of architectural kunshtuk. According to the city authorities, the current architectural form should become a symbol of modernity, a new quality of communication for citizens and tourists.
Tom Mayne's Morphosis Bureau proposed interpreting modernity by means of contemporary art, which seems to be successful, keeping in mind the experience of neighboring Bilbao. The project is a kind of minimalist sculpture, in shape reminiscent of the energetically rising roof of the Moscow pavilion at VDNKh (the former USSR pavilion at the Expo in Montreal).
In the work of the Brazilian Marcio Kogan, again, it was not without "art": the detached everyday plot turned into something surreal. The entrance is designed as a black rectangular volume with a sloping roof, and its inner shell is made of bright green. The result is a "box" partially recessed into the ground, reminiscent of the packaging of some gadget or fashionable sneakers, as if dropped by a mythical (but advanced) giant.
The renowned Norwegians Snohetta became the winners. Although the architects proposed an ultra-modern solution, their project is remarkable precisely for the work with light and space, that is, with traditional architectural categories. They covered the entrance with a visor in the shape of a stylized "petal" consisting of transparent polygons of different sizes. Daylight freely passes through it (this is a structure made of glass and metal), forming whimsical shadows on the stairs leading to the trains. Actually, these shadows are the most interesting in the project. While competitors were inventing conceptual tricks, Snohetta paid attention directly to the space itself, which, although small, is especially dramatic. The entrance to the subway is the gateway to the underworld, and the shadows created by the canopy turn the usual descent into the subway into a theatrical performance of the transition from light to darkness and back.
At night, the petal roof is illuminated by integrated white LEDs, transforming into a striking symbol of innovation and modernity. The organic "honeycomb" roof structure has completely utilitarian advantages. The roofs for different stations will not be completely identical (thanks to this design, they can be easily adjusted to the requirements of a particular situation), but at the same time they are always recognizable: a petal is a petal. Consequently, the main task of the competition has been solved: a new attraction will appear in San Sebastian.
