Sound meets sculpture at Stockholm City Station
How an artist turned a bustling metro into a calm, fabric-like space using Rockfon Mono Acoustic
Stockholm City station, connecting all metro lines to the city above. Karin Lindh’s ceiling design is visible from the moment you step inside.
Transforming a metro hub
Every day, 125,000 people pass through Stockholm City station. It's one of the busiest transit hubs in Sweden. Connecting all metro lines, the central station, and the city above. When in 20217, the station underwent major refurbishment, the ambition went beyond infrastructure.
Stockholm has a long tradition of public art in its metro stations. This one would be no different. Through an open competition, artist Karin Lindh was selected to create a ceiling installation for the 200m² mezzanine.
Her vision was clear. But pulling it off was another matter entirely.
A vision without a fitting material
The mezzanine, the open intermediate floor connecting the station entrance to the platforms below, needed a striking installation. With so many daily commuters, the acoustic performance of the space was non-negotiable. Hard underground surfaces (concrete, stone, glass), reflect and amplify sound. In a busy transit hub, that generates noise which makes an already stressful environment feel worse.
Lindh drew inspiration from Bernini, the Italian baroque sculptor known for bringing movement and light into stone, and the way he worked with architecture and form. She wanted something similar, but crisper and less baroque: A rippling, pleated surface that drapes across the ceiling like fabric caught mid-movement.
Beautiful in theory. Technically demanding in practice. Because the project’s material had to do two things at once: hold a sculptural form, and perform well acoustically. Finding something that could do both wasn't straightforward. So what material could actually deliver that?
Project info
Project name
Stockholm City Station
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
Architecture
Installation
Photography
Ola Österling
Building Owner
Download images
Products used
Rockfon® Mono Acoustic
ViewRockfon Mono Acoustic showing how it can be bent into sharp, seamless folds. Exactly what Lindh's design asked for.
A material to design an architectural masterpiece
After testing various materials on site, Rockfon® Mono® Acoustic was chosen to realise the artist's vision. Its flexibility made the difference. "The panels are flexible and can be bent, creating both sharp and soft bends" says Thomas Svensen from TS Akustik.
The seamless, jointless surface gave Lindh the crisp and uninterrupted finish her vision asked for. At the same time, the stone wool core delivers Class A sound absorption, controlling the acoustics in one of Sweden's busiest transit stations.
Lighting, ventilation and air conditioning are all integrated without interrupting the surface. The white finish reflects and diffuses light across the space, adding to the sense of openness Lindh was after.
The result is a space that feels different from the moment you walk in.
The full 200m² installation. A fully bespoke application of Rockfon Mono Acoustic offering high light reflection and light diffusion.
Where the precise, custom folds of the installation meet the rough underground walls of the station.
Lighting, air conditioning, and ventilation are easily integrated.
“Bernini skillfully worked with daylight, architecture and sculpture. I wanted to play with daylight in a similar way, but perhaps a little crisper and less baroque.”
Karin Lindh
— Artist
Delivering a space that moves people
Stockholm City Station shows what's possible when art, architecture and acoustic performance are treated as one brief rather than three separate problems. Beyond looking remarkable, the ceiling actively improves the experience of being in the space.
A complex vision, which was realised without compromise.
Also want to turn an acoustic challenge into a design opportunity? Get in touch, and together we'll find a solution that sounds as good as it looks.
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