Chengdu’s first fully-automatic unmanned metro line has been realized by a collaboration between J&A and Sepanta design. Chengdu Metro Line 9 Phase I covers approximately 22 kilometers running southeast to northwest and includes 13underground stations designed to “entirely change people’s expectations of what metro stations can offer them.”

“Our main aim in the design of Chengdu metro stations was to provoke emotions,” said Reza Esmaeeli, founder of Sepanta design and design director at Chetwoods Architects. “There are some metro stations around the world that do that, but not many. Metro stations in central Moscow are a great example of how to take the design to another level and go beyond the functional and regulatory requirements. Chengdu metro stations are not going to be merely points of transit. they are going to be memorable spaces that offer their passengers an artistic and futuristic expression of their own culture.”

J&A and Sepanta Design were inspired by the culture and the artistry of Sichuan silk and embroidery. Through its interior design they aimed to reflect Chengdu’s progressive and creative spirit. The result is an abstract interpretation of the embroidery techniques, featuring continuous movements of lines that interweave, creating nodes, patterns and textures.