Liege-Guillemin Railway Station in Belgium is a pearl of modern architecture

There are several railway stations in the city of Liege, in Belgium. But it was Liege-Guillemin that became the symbol of a new era. Despite the fact that he is not the first and not the largest. This amazing architectural object is located in the southwestern part of the city, near a picturesque mountain complex called the Ardennes. Earlier there was a monastery on this place. Its building served as the basis for the station. It has been operating since 1842, but it used to look completely different. It was repeatedly reconstructed until it acquired a modern Neo-Gothic design in 2009.

The Creator's Word

Spaniard Santiago Calatrava Valls, who created this building, once won an international competition for the best project. His idea was recognized as successful and having the right to life, the other 12 candidates were left out of work. Santiago already had experience in the construction of such facilities. He designed train stations in Zurich, Lisbon, Lyon. But this project has become a real challenge for the architect. As he himself later admitted, his goal was to reflect the huge potential that people received with the commissioning of high-speed trains. Europe seemed to have become one. The cities seem to have approached each other geographically. Passenger traffic has increased. And, of course, it was necessary to create a complex that would be modern, comfortable, and functional. Santiago Calatrava did it.

He created a unique building without facades with a roof that seemed to grow upwards like a mushroom. The station hospitably offered people shelter under this roof from the bad weather, rainy Belgian winter. The hill-like shape of the roof is naturally continued by the terrain outside the building. That is, the station does not exist by itself, it seems to be inscribed into the surrounding landscape, being its continuation.

The transparent roof of the station symbolizes its openness and accessibility for everyone.

Design features

Despite the fact that the architect did not design the station building for the first time, all his creations are very different from each other. The main feature of Liege-Guillemin is the elegant undulating roof and the almost complete absence of walls. 39 steel arches are arranged in an unusual way. As a rule, they are installed across the railway tracks, and these are installed along. The length of the floors is approximately 200 meters. The arched structure is held by two pedestrian bridges located above the tracks.

Such a roof, despite all its heaviness and bulkiness, seems to be airy, as if floating above the building itself.

Interestingly, the arches were installed without closing the station building. At first they were collected on the square, and then on weekends at night they were fixed over the tracks. At the same time, trains could immediately pass under them, traffic in connection with construction work did not stop.

It took 32,000 sq. m. to equip the roof . m glass. The problems with washing were solved immediately. Special mini-rails have been installed in the arches, which are used by washing robots. Some of the platforms are also paved with glass blocks. This allows for more efficient use of natural light. Reflecting from the glass, the sun's rays penetrate into the parking lot located in the underground part of the station.

To make a snow-white roof tent, a special mixture (in the amount of 70,000 cubic meters) of cement, crushed stone, sand and special additives was required. Such a composition made ordinary concrete shining, as if soaked in light. The absence of straight lines gave the building a special charm. According to the architect, he was inspired to create such a building by the beauty of the female body, the curves of the local Meuse River and the hill located in the immediate vicinity of the train station. Visitors often have associations with waves coming ashore. And if we consider the complex in combination with the railway tracks themselves, then this is a whole waterfall. The building produces a special effect in the evening and at night when the white backlight turns on.

Beauty is not the main thing

The architect, of course, wanted to create a beautiful building. However, the main thing for the station is functionality and convenience. And here Santiago Calatrava succeeded. The station is connected to the motorway network via bridges and viaducts. Thus, the transport infrastructure of the city has become more convenient. From the bus, you could immediately transfer to a high-speed train and go to another country.

And for those who had to wait for their train, it was very pleasant to be inside the station. Everything here is created for comfort. Three 450-meter platforms accept double high-speed trains from France and Germany. The other two platforms are slightly shorter – their length is 350 meters. Immediately behind them there is a station car parking with access to the motorway (the only one in Europe).

Thus, the Liege-Guillemin railway station has become an integral part of the city's infrastructure. When it was necessary to reconstruct the city square located nearby, it was already being equipped to match the popular transport hub. Later, an avenue was laid from the station in the Meuse River, from which it was possible to get to the island of Boveri, often called "museum". So the two parts of Liege, the ancient and the modern, were woven into a single network. And they were connected by this ultramodern architectural complex, which brings great benefits to people.

Costs

The construction cost the country 437 million euros. Not cheap even by modern standards. However, it depends on what to compare it with. When the mayor of Liege was asked if this was too much for the local budget, he replied that the new Airbus-380 costs the same amount, but the station will bring much more benefits. And there was truth in his words. The station has been serving people since 2009, and it was a very profitable investment. Such a beautiful building attracted tourists to Belgium. And the station itself has become a separate attraction of the city. Now the Belgians are proud not only of chocolate and waffles, but also of the amazing beauty of the train station.