Gas Station by Atelier SAD

A rather bizarre gas station in the Slovakian city of Galanta was completed last year under the architectural vision of Atelier SAD. Composed of three funnel-shaped columns which meet a trio of melded horizontal circular shapes, the service area results as an essential and modernist structure, standing out from the region’s classical 50’s/60’s-inspired look.

The massive mushroom shapes are lit from their ceiling surfaces with glowing neon lamps, perfectly contouring the designated spaces for vehicles to pause for the gas pumps and, at the same time, making the station highly visible even from a distant point of the highway. The combination of the fungus-like aesthetic and faint radiance almost suggest a psychedelic image, only contrasted by the background presence of the cubic kiosk made of wooden panels, conferring warmth to the construction.

Having followed the completion of the project from the first sketch to the last fastened nail, Atelier SAD architects and its partners were able to re-modernize in a unique way the gas station area of over 3,000 square meters, also taking care of the cabin’s interior furnishing process. The result surely stands out, like a luminous alien object, only surrounded by retro constructions and kilometers of asphalt.