Naples Subway / Duomo Station | Studio Fuksas

Duomo Station is a stop in Naples’ underground Linea 1 and is situated in one of the most well-travelled areas of the city – Piazza Nicola Amore, an historic neapolitan square at the junction of Via Duomo and Corso Umberto I – in terms of residents and tourists. Excavation works for the station have brought to light the foundations of a temple dating back to the I century b.C, as well as several archeological finds of great interest.

The archeological find is crucial to the scheme of the station and the intervention aims to turn the temple into a unique museum area.

In order to preserve the temple, a geodetic bubble-like structure with a steel and glass triangular frame has been devised to let direct natural light in. Glass allows visual legibility and continuity from the outside towards the inside, while also lending a touch of lightness to the volume at the centre of the square. The architectural addition of the glassy roofing “deforms” the urban axis and channels the attention on the square and the temple. The first basement level – conceptually inscribed within the base ellipse of the “bubble” – houses the temple.

The second basement level of the station corresponds to the mezzanine floor. In this part of the station tied to mobility and urban journey, the perceptual experience undergoes a change.

The rhythm of the journey is given by colours and geometric textures.

The entrance to the underground is characterized by colours, recurring geometric motifs and reflective surfaces.