A new type of railway station designed for the Mediterranean climate is being built in Montpellier, Southern France. Its unusual roof structure creates a pleasant space and climate inside the station and takes the visitor by surprise with a special lighting effect. High-speed trains travelling between Paris, Marseilles and Barcelona will make frequent stops at this station. It is located in the middle of a development zone in the transition between city and open countryside.
The station hall, which can be seen from a great distance away, spans the wide expanse of the platforms and offers a raised podium with extensive views over the surrounding landscape. Lifts and escalators lead down from there to platform level. Instead of a glazed hall, the objective of the design team working around Marc Mimram was to create a space with a roof that would filter the light and provide shade. To achieve this they designed a refined, modular structure of thin, perforated, precast concrete elements that not only fulfilled the architectural, acoustic and climatic requirements but also brought the interior to life with an interplay of reflected light at floor level.
The station hall, which can be seen from a great distance away, spans the wide expanse of the platforms and offers a raised podium with extensive views over the surrounding landscape. Lifts and escalators lead down from there to platform level. Instead of a glazed hall, the objective of the design team working around Marc Mimram was to create a space with a roof that would filter the light and provide shade. To achieve this they designed a refined, modular structure of thin, perforated, precast concrete elements that not only fulfilled the architectural, acoustic and climatic requirements but also brought the interior to life with an interplay of reflected light at floor level.