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Since February 2000, three handcrafted abstract city mosaics form the heart of the new interface. Their different colour schemes help people orientate themselves within the station. The yellow and red town landscapes hark back to Ghini’s previous life as a comic strip artist. A gradation of green nuances transforms the station’s more than 200 columns into vital space-shaping elements. Ghini also makes bold use of light. An oval light at the centre of each column creates a positive spatial atmosphere, while lines of lights in the aisles pick out the way towards the exits and other levels. In its totality, the station has been transformed into a thoroughly modern meeting place for people: it is timeless and attractive, clean and, by no means least important, safe.
Hannover has a long tradition for placing art in public places and Üstra has co-operated many times in the past with acclaimed artists and designers from all corners of the globe, seeking to stimulate an innovative public transport at a local level. Loosely following the dictates of "form follows function", a series of unique architectural constructions and designs have reshaped Hannover's cityscape into something unforgettable. [Source: Ûstra]
S_TILES: SICIS, EMILCERAMICA
It took Massimo Iosa Ghini only five months to convert Kröpcke underground station (built 1975) into a glass mosaic temple. 12,000 sqm of wall and floor are resplendent in tiny green and yellow ceramic ‘pixels’. A material, which is flexible and durable, with intense, long-lasting colours - and last, but not least, is easy to clean. The ceramic mosaic chosen by Iosa Ghini are produced by Sicis, a well-known manufacturer that covered with its products colourful building surfaces all over the world. The product that has been chosen belongs to the series Murano Smalto Mosaic: the tesserae, 15x15 mm, are laid on a fibre glass grid 295x295 mm.
For the floor covering, the architect selected 40x60 cm unglazed vitrified stoneware by Emilceramica, grey (46E58) and blue (46E55). Among the reasons behind this choice: the incredible resistance of the product, its durability and easy maintenance. |
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