Swathes of glass and steel make up the sinuous exterior of the new Gare de Mons station in Belgium, which has been designed by Swiss-Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
Located along the international Paris to Brussels train line in Mons, the station‘s sculptural structure is organised around a raised gallery volume that stretches 165 metres across the site.
Conceptualised by Calatrava as a “monumental bridge”, its volume traverses a series of 350-metre-long platforms and bus stops that extend outwards from the gallery’s underside.
Santiago Calatrava has completed the Gare de Mons station in Belgium
Calatrava won the competition for the existing station’s redevelopment in 2006. It serves as a link between a previously disconnected residential area to the north and the historic quarter to the south, while also introducing new facilities like offices, underground parking and retail space to the site.
“This project transcends the challenges of constructing a new railway station,” Calatrava said.
“Conceived as a monumental bridge spanning the tracks, it has ignited a profound transformation in its surrounding areas,” he added.
An expansive bridge forms the station’s centrepiece
Externally, the station’s flowing glass and steel form is crowned with a sloping roof that rises to a peak.
Glass canopies extend from the gallery roof at both its north and south entrances to shelter central staircases flanked by escalators that lead up to the station’s interior.
Within the station, the structure’s large triangular truss structure is left exposed, with curved, glass entrances to platforms, shops and other facilities framed by its structural curves.
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An operable skylight lined with wooden supports runs along the gallery’s peak to both draw daylight and ventilation through the space.
Additional wooden details add warmth to the internal facades and are complemented by blue limestone flooring.
“The central gallery is fully enclosed and insulated, ensuring a comfortable temperature during the colder months,” Calatrava said.
A skylight draws light and air through the station
Visitors can descend to the platform from the central space level via stairs, escalators and elevators.
Sheltered beneath roofs extending from the central volume are seven passenger tracks, while 29 bus stops and taxi stands complete with built-in wooden benches.
White steel and timber were left exposed on the interior
Meanwhile, below ground, two underground parking facilities are held alongside a 200-unit bike parking facility, which features large structural trusses reminiscent of the upper levels.
Other spaces include offices, back-of-house facilities for staff and a unit for a childcare facility.
Elsewhere, images of redesigns to the UK passenger terminal for LeShuttle’s Channel Tunnel service were recently unveiled and a rail and bus station was designed as an “iconic entry point” for Los Angeles.
The photography is by Oliver Schuh of Palladium Photodesign.