Ora Ïto redesigns Marseille metro trains and Place Castellane

Marseille commuters now experience Ora Ïto's work both above and below ground. The locally born designer has reshaped Place Castellane, a key city intersection, and designed the new metro trains. Place Castellane, once a busy traffic roundabout, now accommodates a tramline and a 102m-long limestone bench curving around André-Joseph Allar's 1911-1913 fountain. Ïto collaborated with engineering group Egis and urban planners STOA on the square, and with rail manufacturer Alstom on the metro rolling stock as the system moves toward driver-free operation. The new train interiors feature warm tones, light materials, fluid minimal seats, and circular handrails, described by Ïto as a 'moving lounge' with hints of 1970s French public design by Philippe Neerman. Ïto previously worked with Alstom on the Nice tramway. The project required navigating complex safety and engineering constraints. From above, Place Castellane resembles an unblinking eye, providing pedestrian-focused public space. Ïto expressed pride in bringing these projects to Marseille, the city of his childhood.