MUMBAI MODEL

METRO STATION
 mumbai metro station

One seldom thinks of a metro station to be a place of comfort

or inspiration but today, metro stations are an incredible
opportunity to prove the impact design and architecture can
have on people and city in the underground.

Metro stations serve as sensitive and potent means to make

a large and direct impact to any city and its dwellers and
therefore, a metro station is no longer just a transit center.

The scale of metro station projects in India needs a matured

design response. Metro stations deserve deliberation and
need an educated design direction. A holistic and integrated
approach is required to create a balance between design and
engineering. One needs metro stations to possess optimum
visual experience as well as be a safe, efficient, smart. It
cannot work without the other in isolation. In India, aesthetics
MUMBAI MODEL are treated as a top up, thereby, a non-obligation to structure.
The idea of quantifying a design participation in an engineered

METRO STATION infrastructural solution expresses the lack of understanding

of the same. One needs to promote collaborative design
solutions between engineers and architects to bring this
faculty of design to its logical position.

It is with this intent, that we have put together a design

solution that can serve as a benchmark for making metro
stations in an Indian context.
mumbai metro map

line 1

line 2

line 4

line 5

line 6

line 8

line 9 & line 7

existing challenges of proposed solutions for existing challenges of proposed solutions for
metro stations metro stations design metro stations metro stations design

unclear underbelly with exposed services clean & green underbelly haphazard elevation functional & uniform elevation

cluttered city facade façade as an identity for metro incoherent internal spaces coordinated internal spaces

undefined entry & exits structure articulate entry & exits structure ceiling with exposed services clean & organized detail
external façade
night scene
interior view at concourse level
platform perspective
station box concept for model metro station

1. functional attributes

a). design for non air-conditioned space

b). provision of natural light a.1 glazing 21
c). achieve naturally ventilated spaces a.2 aluminium expanded mesh 23
d). inside –outside view for safety & security a.3-i) louvers 25
e). protection from ‘mumbai’ rain (at least 45 degree angle )
a.3-ii) aluminium screen 29
2. design guidelines a.3-iii)disadvantage of horizontal louvers 31 a. façade
a.4- logo-project name 33
a). identifying opportunities of variation in materials and a.5-texture paint on exposed rcc surfaces 35
colors so that it can connect with the cultural context.

b). setting standards for metro stations to be able to become b.1- reflected ceiling 39
new icons for mumbai b.2-columns 41 b. underbelly

3. detail design opportunities

c.1- cantilever 45
a). proportionate quantity of materials
b). quality of materials to attain functionality & aesthetics c.2-reflected ceiling 47
c.3-rain water pipe alignment 49
c.4-enclosed services 51 c. roof

d.1-flooring 55
d.2-vertical surface finishes 57
d.3-false ceiling 59
d.4-electrical and services 61
d.5 -wall cladding 63 d. internal
d.6-finishing schedule 65 finishes

e.1-glazing 69
e.2-louvers 71
e.3-stone cladding 73
e.4-other finishes 75
station furniture 77 e. entry-exit
sculpture 79 structure

concept design drawings 81

 a. facade

1. façade should be ventilated to give a view to the outside and

let light penetrate inside.

2. spaces shall be defined for logo and station name placement

3a/3b as per branding manual guidelines.

4 3. the faces in front of the staircases are water tight but allow
light to come in.
short elevation
4. only 3 materials to be used to achieve maximum transparency

I) glazing -20% of the facade

II) aluminium expanded mesh 20% of the facade
III) louvers/aluminium screen 60% of the facade

long elevation

4 3a/3b 2 2 1 3a/3b

19
 a.1 glazing

1. 20% of total façade should be glazed with clear glass.

2. 15-20% of this material should be open for natural

ventilation and light.

3. naturally lighting up the staircase areas & providing outside

view.

4. fixing of glass panel shall in such way that it allows

ventilation but protects from the rain.

5. recommended size of the glass - 2ft x 4ft.

6. supporting members required for glazing should be grey in

color (RAL 7037).

7. avoid horizontal members to prevent settling of dust and

bird droppings

ventilation through gap natural light through glass

in-between glass panels & protection from rain

21
 a.2 aluminium expanded mesh

१. 20% of total façade should be aluminium expanded mesh.

2. 15-20% of this material should be open for the purpose of

natural ventilation and light.

3. design of expanded mesh should be such that it shall not

allow rain water to come.

4. color of expanded mesh should be same as color of

respective metro line as per the branding manual.

5. supporting members required should be grey (RAL 7037)

in color.

6. horizontal members shall be avoided to prevent settling of

dust and bird’s droppings.

ventilation through gap diffused sunlight

in-between panels through frosted glass

23
a.3-i) box section louvers - long façade

1. 60% of total façade should be aluminium box section louvers

2. 80% of this material should be open for the purpose of

natural ventilation and light, so that it contributes to atleast
45% opening of the entire façade.

3. deep profiled box louvers to be use to prevent rain water

and allows cross ventilation

4. horizontals arrangement of the louvers to be avoided

5. recommended size of the louver - 125mmx50mm

6. recommended spacing between louvers – 300mm c/c

7. color of louvers should be neutral grey (RAL 7037)

8. supporting members required should be grey (RAL 7037)

in color.

ventilation through gap in-between panels

25
 box section louvers - short façade

1. one more layer of louvers to be arranged behind the grey

louvers only on shorter side elevation in a way to make the
shape of a tunnel.

2. the tunnel shape makes the station look compact and

aesthetically pleasing at the same time.

3. the color of additional louvers will be the color of the metro line
as per branding manual guidelines.

short elevation

plan showing typical arrangement of louvers on short

façade in 2 layers

27
 a.3-ii) aluminium screen
(as an alternative to vertical louvers)
1. 60% of total façade should be aluminium screen

2. 80% of this material should be open for the purpose of natural

ventilation and light, so that it contributes to atleast 45% opening
of the entire façade.

3. color should be neutral grey (RAL 7037)

4. supporting members required should be grey (RAL 7037) in color.

29
 a.3-iii) disadvantages of horizontal
& c section louvers
1. in order to achieve 80% opening the spacing have to be kept
more which will not be aesthetically pleasing.

2. horizontal louvers are not recommended due to collection of

dust and birds dropping.

3. c-section louvers create pockets to settle the dust which will be

visible from inside of the station.

4. maintenance in horizontal louvers is difficult as compared to

vertical louvers.

31
 a.4-logo and project name
1. mmrda branding logo and station name shall be placed in the
defined spaces in the façade so that it does interfere the station
façade

2. color, size and font will be according to branding manual.

3. the mmrda logo has been integrated in station façade by

cutting the louvers at different points which helps in blending it in
the concept of the entire metro station.

MMRDA logo detail

project name detail

33
a.5-texture paint on exposed rcc surfaces
1. all the vertical surfaces in the exterior like beam, all the services
room wall, parapet to be texture paint (asian texture apex ultima
allura granizia shade- r714 or equivalent)

2. solid surface behind glazing /louvers/aluminium screen to be

painted before fixing on any cladding material.

3. external face of the parapet wall to be texture paint over bison

board.

4. external face of the bison board to be flush with beam edge to

achieve continuous surface.

texture paint section

logo detail
35
 b. underbelly
1. the under belly should be very neat and free from clutter of
various types.

2. the structure of metro station visible from road level should be

organized and functional.

3. all the services running below the station façade shall be hidde

Legend

lighting fixtures
rain water pipe

reflected celling plan-road level

37
 b.1-road level ceiling
1. the false ceiling on the bottom of the station to be provided to
hide the deep structural beams and exposed services.

2. recommended false ceiling open cell aluminium metal false

ceiling maximum cell opening size – 300x100 mm

3. 900mm wide opening shall be left on the periphery of the

column to access the services for maintenance.

4. color of the false ceiling shall be dark grey (RAL 7024)

5. soffit shall be painted with darker grey shade so that its not
visible, recommended shade - asian paint arctic shadow -9454

concourse level slab

0.9M 0.9M
open cell false ceiling

rcc column

section
39
 b.2-columns
1. columns shall be painted in grey color matching with ral 7037.

2. columns below the station shall be enclosed with vertical

garden hiding their rigidity and mass

3. benefits of green wall

a) noise level reduction
b) improved air quality
c) sustainable cladding

4. advertisement panels shall be placed on columns for branding

so that it looks organized and serves the purpose.

5. recommended size-1.2m x 2.4m

road
road

1.2m x
2.4m

road
road

green column plan advertisement panel

elevation plan On green column

41
 c. roof structure
1. flat roof with minimal slope required for rain water drain to be
used.

2. flat roof shall have a cantilever to protect from the rain.

3. the color of the roof should be same as the color of metro line
as per branding manual.

4. roof profile shall be in a way to complete the tunnel shape in

the elevation on shorter side.

roof flashing 5. all the gutters for rain water drain shall be hidden within the
sheeting to enclose s ervices roof structure.

6. roof sheet- poly carbonate sheeting shall be avoided and the

entire roof sheeting should be of single sheeting material.

sheeting to enclose servic s 7. Two down take pipe from the extreme end of the station & two
Roof flashing
pipe along the lift on each side of station shall be provided

platform level part reflected

ceiling plan

part roof plan

43
 c.1-cantilever
1. cantilever of 3.5m* in roof is to be projected out from the edge
of the station.

2. the cantilever is to protect the platform from mumbai rains

3. the straight profile of the roof will allow cross ventilation and
maximize the opening of more natural light.

3.5m
3.5m

* cantilever of roof may reduced to minimum of 2.5m as per site constraints

45
 c.2-reflected ceiling
1. no false ceiling is to be provided on platform level

2. the roof flashing will continue till the nearest arm of y- columns
gutter on platform.
metal roof sheeting 3. clean bottom with sharp edge of roof sheeting to be provided
metal roof flashing for pleasing appearance from the road level .

4. all flashing should have the same color as the metro line
according to branding manual guidelines.

5. all the structural members of roof shall be grey (ral 7037) in

colour.

6. roof flashing will be continued parallel to the y column upto

the gutter bottom to close the gap between roof tap sheet and
flashing as shown in the detail.
flashing detail

3.5m x 1.2m x

change

47
 ref. detail c.3-rain water alignment
1. rainwater pipe down take along y-arm of the column to
concourse level ceiling and then along the skin, into the ground.

2. rain water pipe will run between the louvers at concourse level
& shall be in grey colour (ral 7037) same as louvers to get blend
with the façade.

gutter

rain water pipe

flashing

detail

rain water
pipe

Section showing rain water arrangement plan- rain water pipe alignment at concourse lvl
49
 c.4- enclosed services
1. multiple cable trays to be covered with flashing which is same
as the roof material

2. the color of the flashing will be same as the color of the metro
line as per branding manual guidelines.

3. the cable trays are accessible from both the sides for
maintenance.

4. light fixture, cctv camera to be embedded in the flashing below

the cable tray.

5. recommended fixing detail as below

cable tray enclosure light fixtures embedded in flashing

speaker fixing cctv camera fixing display & Signage fixing clock fixing

typical cable tray arrangement

51
 d. internal finishes
1. the station is given monochrome colour scheme so that the
color of the metro line on vertical surfaces can be highlighted.

2. all the vertical surfaces such as room walls, parapet walls,

columns shall be cladded so that it is free from maintenance and
long lasting.

3. cladding material should be such that which is durable and can

withstand high public traffic.

internal sectional elevation

53
 d.1-flooring
1. shades of steel grey granite to be used for flooring so that the
holes for brand color can be highlighted.
water drainage
2. flooring pattern can be created with different finishes of same
grey granite stone

3. recommended finishes of granite as follows:

saucer drain-plan 4. rough granite to be used on steps

granite cover 5. recommended finish for steps(on tread & riser – brushed &
as/details flamed finish steel grey granite.
granite flooring
as/approved sample 6. saucer drain shall be covered with same granite finish as
drain slope adjacent flooring finish.

water proofing 7. stainless steel tactile studs to be used for partial visually
as/approved sample impaired persons.

8. vitrified tile shall be used in toilets & all the services rooms with
saucer drain -section antiskid & polished finish respectively. recommended tile – cool
grey (kajaria)

cool grey vitrified tile ss tactile studs brushed & flamed polished leather lappato
Steel grey granite

level area material finish level area material finish

unpaid area staircase grey granite brushed & flamed

concourse polished & leather
paid area grey granite concourse services /office rooms grey vitrified tiles polished
platform level paid area leather & lappato toilets grey vitrified tiles anti skid

55
 d.2- accessible vertical surface finishes
1. no paint on any vertical surfaces in public areas is recommended.

2. all vertical surfaces are to be cladded and not painted for

durability & low maintenance.
ss handrail
3. vertical surfaces to be cladded with minimal graphics as per
branding manual.

4. materials like solid acrylic or lacquered glass to be used for

lappato functional spaces such as ticket counter, wash basin counter and
finish-steel internal partitions in toilets etc.
grey granite
5. parapet to be cladded with steel grey granite lappato finish
with ss hand rail.

6. vertical ss railing to be avoided due to maintenance issues.

cladding on parapet with handrail 7. 80% of the cladding should be granite and rest can be acrylic
solid or lacquered glass.

8. maximum 6mm thick slim tiles to be used for both dry and wet
cladding.

9. all the services room shall be cladded with vitrified tiles upto
minimum 2.1m height for ease of maintenance.

10. columns to be cladded from all the sides with durable and low
maintenance material such as porcelain slim tile or lacquered
glass.

a. rain water pipes & other services running along the columns to
gutter
be hidden in cladding
Silim tile/
Lacquered glass b. there shall be opening provided on both side of the columns for
cladding maintenance of the services .

11. pier arm shall be in grey colour.

openable panel
recommended texture paint -asian diamond blade - 8329 or
equivalent texture paint

57
 d.3-false ceiling
1. the false ceiling at concourse level to be provided to hide the
deep structural beams and exposed services.

2. recommended false ceiling - open cell aluminium metal false

ceiling maximum cell opening size – 150x150 mm

3. color of the false ceiling shall be dark grey (RAL 7024)

4. all the services and lights to be placed above the false ceiling.
level area type of flase ceiling
5. metal false ceiling to be provided inside confined office spaces
unpaid area at concourse level.
grey open cell
paid area 6. the projection coming out of the pier arm is to be cladded with
concourse aluminum metal sheet fascia.
services/office room
metal false ceiling 7. the color of the metal sheet has to match the color of the
toilets metro line. as per branding manual

8. lighting to be provided behind the aluminum cladding in to

order to highlight the pier arm.

9. vertical grey metal sheet fascia should be provided to enclose

the false ceiling on edges.

10. soffit shall be painted with darker grey shade so that its not
visible, recommended shade - asian paint arctic shadow -9454

rain water pipe

false ceiling

metal fascia

led light
slim tile cladding
59
 d.4-electrical and services
1. electrical fixtures to come above the false ceiling

false ceiling level

false ceiling level

61
I. granite dry cladding IV. slim porcelain tile
d.5 -wall cladding
I. granite dry cladding – escalator, lift, paid area parapet wall
All Vertical granite surfaces must be of lapato finish.

II. vitrified tiles – recommended for spare room, miscellaneous

operational room dado, toilets

III. acrylic solid surfaces – recommended use on counter tops like

ticket counter, washroom counter

IV. slim porcelain tiles – recommended use on vertical surface in

paid areas like staircase, column at concourse level, external facade
specification -
II. vitrified tiles 1200mmx600mm porcelain sheet, 5.3mm with mesh. Suitable
for External façade with matt and slip resistant finishes.
Tile will include surface hardness of 5 on Mohs scale, stain
red yellow magenta green
resitance at class 5 (Stain could be easily cleaned by hot water),
line 7 line 2a line 14 line 4 water absorption <0.05%, resistance to chemical attack, frost
line 7a line 2b line 4a resistance, resitance to thermal shock and A1 class fire resistant,
line 9 line 10
line 11
UV protected and an Eco friendly product.

V. concrete wall tiles – recommended use in areas like ticketing

office, station control room, spare rooms, mess room, security
room and toilets
specification -
gold purple orange pink conrete wall tiles of thickness 15mm, standard sizes 300x300,
Line 8 Line 13 Line 5 Line 6
Line 12 150x150, 300x150, 75x75 (customized as per requirement);
having Wet transverse strength – Above 3N/mm2;
III. acrylic solid surfaces V. concrete wall tiles Abrasion Test – Below 3.5mm; Water absorption – Below 10%

63
 d.6-finishing schedule

AREA LEVEL FLOOR WALL/DADO/PARAPET AREA LEVEL FLOOR WALL/DADO/PARAPET

PUBLIC AREAS SERVICES

Escalator Steel grey granite UPS room for s&t

Vacuum dewatered flooring
Staircase Steel grey granite (brushed Dry Cladding - Slim tiles Auxiliary sub-station
with glass strip
and flamed finish
UPS & battery room
Lift Concourse / Platform Steel grey granite (leather finish) Steel grey granite Concourse Plaster
Signalling equipment
room(ser)-raised floor high raised floor with
Paid Area Platform steel grey granite (combination Steel grey granite
of lappato & leather finish) Telecom equipment anti-static HPL panel
room(TER)-raised
OFFICES floor(TER)
Miscellaneous
Ticketing Office Polished steel grey granite Feature wall concrete tiles/ vitrified tile Acrylic emulsion paint (Grey)
operational room
slim Tiles/lacquered Glass

Station Control Room anti- static HPL panel Slim Tiles / Lacquered Glass
(scr)-Raised Floor upto 2400mm and Acrylic
emulsion paint above
Concourse AREA FINISH RAL SHADE FOR LOUVERS
Mess Room
Polished steel grey granite Acrylic emulsion paint (Grey)
Security Room Aluminium louvers Powder Coated-Grey/Red Colour GREY RED

Spare Room Polished kota stone concrete tiles/vitrified tiles Beams (behind louvers) Texture paint as/finishing detail RAL 7046 RAL 3020
upto 2400mm and Acrylic
Beams/slab (below concourse)
emulsion paint above Paint as/finishing detail
Slab soffit of concourse slab
TOILET
Ms structure Paint as/finishing detail
Matt finish Vitirified tile Combination of concrete tiles/ Roof-meatal sheet Color as per line code
Toilet
(Grey color) vitrified Tiles/ Acrylic emulsion
paint (Grey)/Acrylic solids Columns (below concourse) Green wall

65
 e. entry/exit structure
i. entry/exit structure shall be defined & easy to locate.

ii. façade should be breathing, for view to outside and light to

come inside.

iii. no columns to come between the plinth and the concourse

bridge so that it should feel open on the ground level.

iv. the staircase can be constructed using mild steel.

1
3 3

2
3 only 3 materials to be used to achieve maximum transparency
would be:

1) glazing
2) aluminium louvers
3) stone cladding

2 2

3 3

67
 e.1 glazing
1. naturally lighting up the staircase landing & providing outside
view.

2. fixing of glass panel shall in such way that it allows ventilation

but protects from the rain.

3. recommended size of the clear glass - 2ft x 4ft.

4. supporting members required for glazing should be grey in

color (RAL 7037).

5. avoid horizontal members to prevent settling of dust and bird

droppings.

elevation

glass panel
vertical supporting member

plan-glazing detail
69
 e.2 louvers
1. deep profiled box louvers to be placed at 90 degree angle to
the roof & floor finish that it prevents rainwater from coming in
and allows cross ventilation

2. horizontals arrangement of the louvers to be avoided

3. bottom of staircase shall be covered with the same louvers on

the sides so that it should look like a monolithic structure.

4. recommended size of the louver - 125mmx50mm

5. recommended spacing between louvers – 300mm c/c

6. color of louvers should be neutral grey (RAL 7037)

7. supporting members required should be grey (RAL 7037) in color.

elevation

parapet wall
parapet wall with ss railing
aluminium louvrs
supporting member
for louvers
aluminium louvers

section plan
71
 e.3 stone cladding
1. all vertical surfaces should be steel grey granite stone cladded
minimum atleast upto full human height for durability and low
maintenance.

2. the entrance gate should be shutter lockable.

3. supporting columns should be cladded with grey granite.

4. recommended type of finish of granite -lappato

elevation

grey granite cladding

block work

section plan-typical arrangement of louvers

73
 e.4 other finishes
1. the entry/exit roof color is to be the color of the metro line as
per branding manual.

2. roof shall be fixed in such way that it will recess from vertical
surfaces by atleast 150-200mm below.

3. parapet to be cladded with steel grey granite lappato finish

with ss hand rail

4. rough granite to be used on steps

5. recommended finish for steps(on tread & riser – brushed &

flamed finish steel grey granite

6. rain water pipe will run between the louvers adjacent to rcc
column

gutter

louvers

rain water pipe

aluminium metal
sheet

detail section
75
 station furniture
1. Materials to be used are Stainless Steel/Concrete/Granite.

77
 sculpture
I. Providing sculptures at marked locations
II. Materials to be used are Stainless Steel or Granite.

entry / exit plan

entry/exit elevation
79
 concept design drawings

Aluminium expanded Aluminium expanded

mesh on staircase mesh on staircase
glazing on face having same face having same glazing on
aluminium louvers staircase face aluminium louvers colour as metro line colour as metro line aluminium louvers staircase face aluminium louvers

Aluminium expanded Aluminium expanded

mesh mesh glazing on
on staircase face having on staircase face having aluminium louvers
space for logo aluminium louvers glazing on staircase face staircase face
same colour as metro line same colour as metro line

elevation
81
section elevation
83
archohm is an architecture and design studio in
noida, the national capital region of india. archohm
was founded by architect sourabh gupta in the new
millennium. today the firm has evolved into a well known
design practice with projects and initiatives addressing
a wide array of issues, scales and typologies.
50,000 sqft 4 offices in noida, lucknow over100
of studio space mumbai and amsterdam archtiects, designers & staff
being socially responsible and contextually responsive
is ingrained in archohm’sdna. the research and design
process undertaken relies on extensive brainstorming
coupled with intuitive and out-of-the-box approaches 20 year old practice over 50 awards
that disrupt and impart a mad and fun flavour to each
of its works. it promotes the use of pure and indigenous
materials in modern contexts, functions, forms and
established in 2000
narratives.

with other office currently in mumbai, lucknow and

earlier ones in libya and the netherlands, studio archohm
is in a continuous state of evolution. the studio actively
contributes to both national and international journals,
papers, and exhibitions. archohm has been well
encouraged by the design community through various
awards, publications and lecture opportunities.

sourabh gupta
principal architect and founder
studio archohm
 cultural medical social

architecture
lighting

institutional mixed use

medical toll plaza

urban
rejuvenation dna

interior
institutional
architecture masterplanning

infrastructure residential
 MUMBAI MODEL
METRO STATION
www.archohm.com