The first metro station built in Tehran, Sadeghiyeh is considered as one of the most important terminals in town. The design requirement of this project was to transform the forgotten urban space around the metro station into a lively urban plaza.  

Disrupted neighbourhood 

This transportation hub encourages commuters to use different kinds of transport modes – from the metro to busses, taxis, cars and bicycles. Due to the transport exchange facilities in Sadeghiyeh, the area is considered a focal point for passengers and locals to pause and socially interact. 

However, this brings environmental disruption and disorder to the neighbourhood, including: 

• Violation of pedestrian sidewalks by vehicles and vice versa. 
• The takeover of this space as a passenger parking lot created visual pollution. 
• The crowd of vendors on busy sidewalks leading to the station caused a lot of inconvenience for passengers and pedestrians. 
• The gathering of taxi vehicles in front of the station’s entrance. 
• The lack of public space for social and cultural ceremonies. 

Bringing order 

The implementation of this project addressed several issues: 

• Systematising the different types of uses of the plaza to include a suitable location for vendors, a space for social interactions and events, and a green landscape to enjoy. 
• Allocating a suitable pick-up and drop-off point for taxis so that cars and pedestrians don’t cross paths. 
• Creating a path for metro passengers. 
• Making sure that the design solution simultaneously resolves the three concerns mentioned above, and that it can operate coherently and without any interference. 

Understanding the flow 

The first step in the design process was to shape the flow of passengers that get off at the train station and spread into the neighbourhood in very short time intervals, by closely studying the flow of pedestrians and vehicles alongside local vendors in the zone. 

The team found the answer by identifying where the vehicle routes, metro passenger traffic and the north street intersect. This spot was used as a focal point from which a ripple effect on the floor originates. All the events and functions within the space are derived from these cohesive lines. 

Navigating the ripple 

The first ripple outlines the boundary of the main courtyard, to be used as a taxi station. As the ripple lines move towards the east, where the station’s entrance is located, different functions are added to the plaza. In-between each ripple, there are benches that rise from the ground, defining the seating area, a place for vendors to display their goods and green space. 

A strong pedestrian axis cuts through the centre of this circular rippled effect, to create the ground for vendors and pedestrians to interact. 

As the ripples move towards the west, a space is allocated for public events and social interactions. Through this common language, CAAT Studio created an urban space and a transportation hub. 

Technical sheet
Principal architect and designer: Mahdi Kamboozia.
Project completion date: 2022.
Photographer: Ali Ehsani, Parham Taghioff.

Acknowledgement and thanks go to www.v2com-newswire.com for the information in this article. 

For more information, visit www.caatstudio.com or email info@caatstudio.com. 

VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/9qYEFWiilXE 

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