Egis India Consulting, the primary design consultants of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), will hand over the structural design of 17 stations for the Kochi Metro Rail to the the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA-Kochi Chapter) on Tuesday. The select group of architects from IIA will work as five teams and design all 22 stations. They will also look into the possibilities of rain water harvesting and use of solar energy as much as possible in all stations. They will come up with designs for the stations which are expected to give special focus to Kerala culture. “The design that will be handed over to IIA will contain the basic structure, the position of the windows, escalators and elevators. The position of each station will also be marked”, said the official spokesperson of KMRL. Based on the structure, the architects will come up with the designs for the stations. The primary aim of the architects will be designing the stations in such a way that it is suitable for the climatic conditions, direction of the wind and the rainfall that the city receives. As per the spokesperson, the Metro Rail stations will have local cultural references. “According to the specialty and cultural importance of the location, each station is expected to have references towards them”, said officials. Since the elevated roof model is not a feasible idea, the structural design will not be in a typical Kerala style. Each station will wear a different look and will have different colours and themes. The structural design for the remaining five stations will also be handed over to the architects soon. Earlier, the architects have hinted that the interiors of the stations will reflect the Kerala model of architecture with windows on traditional wooden frames. Murals based on Kochi-based themes, prominent personalities and inspirational events will also be considered for decorating the interiors of the Stations. Monday’s meeting chaired by KMRL managing director Elias George was also attended by IIA (Kochi chapter) secretary C Najeeb, president Kochu Thomman and KMRL director (projects) Maheshkumar.
