The Versailles Prize unveiled in Paris on September 30 its 2024 list of the Most Beautiful Stations in the World: six recently opened or renovated train stations or metro stations, which serve both creativity, echo of local heritage and ecological performance. Discovery of the Winners, including a station in France.
The architecture of stations is experiencing a great revival of interest, which can be explained by their contribution to intelligent sustainable development, as reported by Jérôme Gouadain, secretary general of the Prix Versailles: “ Stations have once again become an essential part of the living environment. They fulfill their role as a gateway to a territory and, very often, as a public square at the heart of it. They are a summary of life and the city, facilitators of mobility and ambassadors of public and ecological transport. Creating beautiful stations is an investment that could not be more relevant and profitable for our societies. ».
Gare du Schafbergbahn, Saint-Wolfgang, Autriche
The Schafbergbahn, in operation since 1893, is Austria's steepest steam rack railway. Over 5.85 km, it leads from St. Wolfgang in the valley to the summit of Schafberg at 1,783 m above sea level, which offers a breathtaking 360° panorama. Allow 35 minutes each way for a bucolic journey.
The experience begins or ends at the departure station, at an altitude of 542 m, whose historic structure has been reinterpreted and revitalized by the dunkelschwarz agency. The public spaces – entrance hall with ticket office, shop, restaurant, etc. – occupy a bright hall opening onto Lake Wolfgang and the mountains, an outdoor terrace allowing you to stay in direct contact with the elements. With this atmospheric material, the vocabulary “ industrial » pays homage to history while the design and warm wood offer all the contemporary amenities of service and comfort.
A ” pleasure station » or Erlebnis Neighborhood with eloquent charm.
Bell Station, Melbourne, Australia
In the vast Australian spaces, the level crossing has become a boundary if not a scar as the city catches up with history. This was the case in Melbourne, where a general architectural and landscaping program was undertaken.
Born from the talent and imagination of the Wood Marsh agency, Bell, located in Preston, is one of the new elevated stations. The station is distinguished by a concrete facade referencing the heritage-listed housing surrounding the site, the landscape of Darebin's rooftops summarized in a three-dimensional pattern. The multi-colored glass windows filter the light and spread an atmosphere that is both soft and invigorating in the hall space. Combining culture and anticipation, a public amphitheater serves as a flood basin.
Connected to Greater Melbourne, the project is not without ambition, whether in terms of inclusiveness or ecology, as evidenced by the numerous green spaces and native planting grounds that surround the access points. A surprising achievement that helps to revitalize the urban landscape by perfectly embodying the notion of intelligent sustainability.
Beijing Railway Station, Beijing, China
Ten years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1959, when the Beijing station was built, the country had around 670 million inhabitants, hence the gigantic dimensions of the work for the time. The station was built in the traditional style of Chinese architecture but, in a context of shortage, the architects and craftsmen had to do the best with the available resources.
The interior renovation by WIT Design & Research allows you to rediscover all the richness and finesse of the know-how of a people writing their history, each glass facade being a work of art. In one of the waiting rooms, the leather seats have even returned to the original green of the 1950s, thus emphasizing a nostalgic loop.
More surprisingly, once the amenities and installations have been updated, the original monumental spaces prove to be perfectly adapted in size to the capital of a country whose population has doubled. A gem.
Toulouse Matabiau Station, Toulouse, France
The architect Marius Toudoire explained in 1905 about the Toulouse Matabiau train station of which he was the author that it took the form of a new “ palais “. More than a hundred years later, architects had to
contemporaries of AREP go through the archives to find, through its multiple metamorphoses, the image of its creation of a now listed building. The metal structures, the canopy and the moldings were restored and the missing capitals reconstituted in staff. The monumental joinery of the facade overlooking the Canal du Midi is directly inspired by that designed for the original station.
The challenge was then to magnify a historic building while modernizing its accessibility and passenger services. Inside, the choice of materials and colors meets an objective of sobriety: the mirror polish reflects the movement of travelers and the lights of the shops contributing to the liveliness and dynamism of the place. The architecture, resolutely modern, demonstrates accuracy and lightness.
Chiaia Metro Station, Naples, Italy
In connection with Uberto Siola's architectural project, Peter Greenaway's artistic intervention unfolds in the new station, participating in a mythological journey descending into the heart of the city. Each level is thus associated with a divinity and a color.
The entrance is marked by a sculpture of Jupiter with twenty-four arms. The lower area, tinted white and blue, houses a well twelve meters in diameter dedicated to Neptune. Crossed by a helical ramp, we can read Ovid's verse: Est in aqua dulci non invidiosa voluptas (“In pure water, there is a pleasure
that no one regrets). Further down, there is a space dedicated to Ceres, and structured according to a square matrix. In this setting where green dominates, reproductions of statues from the Farnese collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples are exhibited.
An ocher passage, dedicated to Proserpine, finally leads to the last level, Pompeian red in color, and dominated by a steel dome whose center lets natural light filter down to the platforms. 320 eyes representing the gaze of Pluto, king of the Underworld, gaze upon the adventurous travelers.
Grand Central Madison, New York, United States
It's hard to imagine today that 43 meters below the posh Park Avenue and more than 27 meters below the Grand Central Terminal station, lies Grand Central Madison, the largest extension of the Long Island Rail Road in 100 years and a feat of engineering . A daring undertaking for this titanic project involving AECOM, aimed at improving the fluidity of transport to Manhattan, in particular by relieving congestion at Penn Station.
If the architecture of Grand Central Madison is above all a technical feat, it offers a very unexpected visitor experience. Through a large hall and a mezzanine as vast as it is bright, travelers gradually penetrate into an abyss lined with unique works of art, offering an extraordinary initiatory journey. Digital art commissions, Poetry in Motion exhibitions on monumental LED screens, a permanent photography display, concerts and the latest technology systems provide a spectacular selection.
Between sobriety and contemporary gallery, what better tribute to the trendy charm of New York?
