Abstract: Many engineering cases show that the risks of the circumstances around the metro station caused by the excavation of these accessory structures including shaft, cross channel, and metro station pilot tunnel are the major component of the metro construction risk. This paper aims to comprehend the response of surrounding area during the construction of subway shaft. It is based on a subway shaft engineering project of the Changchun subway line 1. The shaft is located at the crossings of Ziyou Road and Renmin Street of Changchun city. Settlements of the surface and adjacent buildings around shaft are studied using finite element software and field monitoring data. The ground surface deformation characteristics and deformation mechanism are discussed. The effect of row piles beside the buildings is also analyzed. The results show that the horizontal deformation of the lining and the land upheaval at the shaft bottom are the important reasons to cause the stratum deformation in the surrounding area. The row piles can interrupt the deformation of foundation and reduce the cumulative settlement and the differential settlement. Finally, the length of the row piles is also discussed. These conclusions are useful for similar project construction.