With the rapid development of urban rail transit and development and utilization of underground space, more and more demands have been put forward for the diversification of the architectural forms of metro stations. In order to achieve the structural functions of metro station in complex surrounding environment, some building forms of atypical station are gradually formed during metro construction process. The atypical metro stations in China built and under construction are introduced; and the design principles and key points of the atypical stations are summarized and analyzed from the aspects of station site environment, controlling factors, functional requirements, risk control, etc. The representative stations, i.e. Jiangsu Road Station in Qingdao and Qingxiushan Station in Nanning, are introduced; and comparison of design ideas is made between the two stations, from which the design features and risk control measures of atypical station are obtained to improve the feasibility of the project.