We are often in a rush to go about our ways, counting minutes waiting for the trains or bus. These transit spaces have the ability to channel your psychological momentum which directly or indirectly affects your subsequent activities. This metro station design in China mingles commuters’ activities, their time on this station, their daily routines and ideates a new perspective on the whole transit design system. To cultivate a moment of pause while traveling, toning down the haste with organic, systematic free flowing design structures for the commuters to admire in that short span of time. These installations instill a sense of community journey on a positive note. The flower petal canopies infuses a sense of security, yet mimicking forms of nature, visually and in abstraction. ~Yamini Vaswani
MASK Architects and Shenzhen-based Jiang & Associates Design (J&A) have collaborated to develop the conceptual interior design of the Zhengzhou metro line-7 stations. The first phase of Zhengzhou Rail Transit Line 7 starts from Dongzhao Station to Nangang Liu Station. The line is 26.82 kilometers long and has 20 stations, including 11 transfer stations. The line passes through Huiji District, Jinshui District, Zhongyuan District, and Erqi District, and is an important rail transit corridor covering the north-south development axis.
Iconic Ideation of Flower Clouds for Metro Station Design in China | Mask Architects + Jiang & Associates Design
Visit: Mask Architects + Jiang & Associates Design
Öznur Pınar ÇER says; Our new generation concept for a metro station in China is inspired by how commuters interact with the space and how they feel within the space on their daily routes. We know that sometimes this daily journey or commute can be very dull and boring, almost an unconscious journey that we don’t really focus on too much. Either you are tired, stressed, sleepy, or just not in the mood. We have created a concept for commuters to feel like they have transited into a new world. We have created an installation, an application to the normal structures of metro stations, and changed the whole environment. The environment will be welcoming, elegant, light, and warm. A place where all pressure and stress will be reduced, where your mind becomes open and active instead of tired and sleepy. We wanted to create a social space, in which the commuters can engage with the surroundings and the environment”.
For them to have a kind of social connection with the space and to be able to interact with one another as they have never before in this kind of environment. To create this kind of space, it is important for us to make commuters more calm and relaxed, because a commuting journey affects everyone’s day, so it is important that we start and finish everyone’s commute in a positive way. We want to take away the negative energy of dullness, boringness, and heavy industrial metro machinery away from this space and transform it into a clean and elegant space. Nature has a way of creating positive disruptions by pulling us out of our interests, ideas, and systems and into something that is often humbling. Design with nature now means to develop areas and environments that are preparing to grow with policy changes, with changing needs of individuals and communities as well as with altering environmental constraints and potentials. The metro station is located in Zhengzhou, China.
Nanhuan Park is where we take inspiration to connect the outside environment to the interior of the metro station. The park shows off the city’s flowers and roses. It attracts people to come and take pictures of the beautiful natural landscape and environment. We want the continuity of flow from outside to inside to continue and help transform the interior of the metro station into something more natural and flourishing. You can see that our installation’s concept consists of flower-like structures and modules that will create the base and main attraction point. We have created large modular structures that can be situated in any order or pattern, to be connected together or separated. With this expandable and mobile modular system, we can create different systems in which the perspective can be changed and can create different flows of avenues for people to explore or be directed to their platforms.
The petals of the flowers create a kind of canopy that will have beautiful light installations that will pulse throughout the canopy and its leaves interacting with light, music, and movement. We went to create a sensation for the commuters to feel like they are under the flowers and get a different perspective and view from under the flowers. This kind of environment is refreshing and very playful with the eyes and mind. We aim to distract people from their daily routines and commutes by giving them the opportunity to focus and explore an environment that they may have been using for a long time. We want to identify the clarity and transparency and create it in a very elegant way using 3D volume to create beautiful bespoke shapes of petals and leaves.
The mesh material will allow us to create transparency to allow light to reflect and be seen in different perspectives. The lighting sequences and patterns will create beautiful lines streaming and beaming across the ceiling area from petal to petal. The canopy lines will create a ceiling wave to excite the commuters. Almost like an exhibition, it allows people’s minds to wander and think freely. The leaves and petals on the branches of and stems of the flower will have multiple lighting effects. They will beam and pulse creating a beautiful harmonic lighting solution as well as a light show. The elegant petals and leaves contribute to the flow of nature into the transport hub. Taking away the full, boring, mechanical elements away from the metro station and transforming it into a more natural, nourishing, flourishing, and refreshing space. The whole goal and aim for this space are to transform people’s daily routine and commutes and how they feel within these metro stations. We want to bring positive natural energy inside and underground.
The flooring is important in this metro station design, as we want to make it as easy as possible for the commuters to navigate and get directions from the floor patterns to their platforms. The station is built on two floors, an arrivals, and a departures floor. Each floor will have patterns on the floor to direct the commuters throughout the metro station. The commuters can feel the flow all around them. We want to engage with their emotions and take them away from their negative emotions and implement a happy environment to create happy emotions for them. Life should not be a dull and boring routine, rather a flow of emotions controlled by a happy environment and moment. The station is under construction and is expected to be completed and ready for opening in 2023. The material used for the flooring is a gradient terrazzo pattern on vinyl. This gives us the flexibility of a floor made beautiful and durable. The ceiling material is a stainless steel mesh that has 0.10mm thickness. The stainless steel mesh is easily sculpted and is usable in different methods to create beautiful sculptures.
Fact File
Designed By: Mask Architects
Joint Partner Firm: Jiang & Associates Design (J&A), China
Typology: Metro Station Interior Design
Location: Zhengzhou, China
Principal Designer: Öznur Pınar ÇER
Design Team: Öznur Pınar ÇER, Derya GENÇ, Danilo PETTA
Visualizations & Animation Studio: Derya GENÇ, GENC Design Studio
Text Credits: Sarje Nagda
Firm’s Website Links: Mask Architects Jiang & Associates Design (J&A), China
Firm’s Facebook Links: Mask Architects
Firm’s Instagram Link: Mask Architects
For Similar Projects >> Iconic Mosque In Dubai – Reinventing Elements Of Islamic Architecture
This residential project is a celebration of material purity and timeless simple design. Here, the rich, warm tone of natural walnut becomes the unifying element across the entire home. The clients, an elderly couple, envisioned a house where walnut would dominate the interiors. Here, no other colors disrupt the visual harmony. This simple yet demanding […]
Chit Chat Chai is a tea cafe that sits in the busy cityscape, in the lanes of Hyderabad. It’s an offbeat sight to its contrasting surroundings. Nestled within the lanes of a commercial neighbourhood, this cafe brings warmth that one seeks to experience after a tiring day at work or a quick hangout session with […]
In a city where homes often compete for attention through ornament and excess, The Nordic Luxe Residence takes a far more assured route. It wins you over with restraint, clarity, and a quietly elevated hand. It is designed for a family that wanted a fully move-in-ready 4BHK modern Indian home delivered within an uncompromising four-month […]
The Archive Home is not just a home—it’s a narrative of two extraordinary souls who call themselves wildlife enthusiasts. Their journeys take them deep into the wilderness every few months, capturing rare frames that have found their way into renowned magazines and the wider world of wildlife. Add to that a husband who can mesmerize […]
Spanning 2200 sq. ft., this 4BHK apartment designed by Studio Inside Out is a finely tuned symphony of rooted design, soft tones, tactile finishes, and thoughtful detailing. “Every space has been planned with a balance of aesthetics and practicality, creating a home that feels rooted, personal, and intuitively luxurious,” shares Ms. Samruddhi Kulkarni and Mr. […]
The concept was to bring the warmth of a traditional South Indian home into a modern city apartment. The goal was to blend two worlds. One of them was the nostalgia of the client’s roots and the practicality of their current urban lifestyle. It is a fusion where traditional materials meet modern shapes. It creates […]
In an era where a retail space are increasingly required to perform beyond the act of transaction, Mangroove emerges as a carefully choreographed spatial experience—one that translates brand identity into architecture through nuance rather than spectacle. Conceived as a contemporary menswear store, the project reimagines understated luxury through an architectural language of fluidity, restraint, and […]
OneDot1 Design Studio approached Neptune Residence with a clear design intent: to create interiors that feel timeless, welcoming, and emotionally grounding. The vision centered around soft tones, natural textures, and warm lighting—an environment where modern aesthetics meet the subtle richness of lived-in comfort. Avoiding unnecessary ornamentation, the design relies on material expression and spatial clarity. […]
Designing the Gupta family’s four-bedroom residence meant crafting a home that could gracefully evolve with time. The clients—a couple and their two sons—approached us with a clear brief: a home that feels modern but endures, elevated yet comforting, and above all, one that functions seamlessly for a family that values both togetherness and privacy. They […]
Designing a home is always a dialogue between functionality, aesthetics, and the people who inhabit it. The Rathi Residence, designed by interior designer Bhavana Chandak, is a thoughtful exploration of modern contemporary living. Completed in 2025 in Aurangabad, this 1800-square-foot residence with a pop of color transforms a compact footprint into a home that feels […]