design

Vibrant Murals to Dress up Metro Stations

To sublimate our everyday commute through the city, Studio Julia Christ has created two monumental murals that give a vibrant twist to the metro stations of Vigie and Malley, in Lausanne.

Providing mobility for thousands of people, public transport is a major issue for cities. Mass transit is an integral part of the daily life of city dwellers, a constant flow common to all metropolises! It is this movement, this urban dynamism, that Studio Julia Christ has chosen to interpret with a touch of poetry.

To lead this projet, the architect immersed herself in the public transport operator’s corporate palette. Staying true to its colour scheme, she gave its azure blue a subtle shading effect and combined it with a gleaming terracotta to create a wave of freshness that accompanies passengers on their daily journey. Dense and deep at the centre of the station, this ripple of colour subtly ebbs and flows through its entrances and exits, a welcome touch of lightness in our hectic lives. Each fresco is different, adapting to the structure of the respective station. Playing with the available natural light, the architect offers new perspectives in the Vigie and Malley stations.

It took thousands of ceramic tiles and a wealth of craftsmanship to create these murals, according to the custom layout plan created by Studio Julia Christ. More than 1,600 square metres, thought out down to the last detail: while the tiles come in blue, terracotta and three shades of white, the joints – in similar shades of dark grey white and terracotta grout – are precisely placed to reinforce the visual impact of the murals.

With this artistic intervention, Studio Julia Christ finds a new playing field in the heart of the city.

  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    ©Alicia Dubuis
  • TEXT
    Géraldine Morand