28.9.09

Santiago Calatrava does it again! Liège Train Station, Belgium

Calatrava’s Liège station began construction in 1996 and was designed to provide rail service for 36,000 people a day whilst introducing innovative design to the local area of Liège.

As a significant point of connection between not only local areas but European cities, the design for Liège-Guillemins Station aimed to create a symbol of the city’s renewal.

Calatrava designed a structure ‘without facades’ and focused on the roof as the key element within the design. It offers protection from the surrounding natural environment in the form of a glass and steel vaulted curve and stretches over five platforms.A series of pedestrian bridges and walkways at basement level provide access from one end of the station to the other.Santiago Calatrava said: “It was my goal to create a 21st century transportation facility that would not only unite Liège with the rest of Europe, but would also serve as a symbol of the city’s renewal. The project, as a whole, creates a new gateway into Liège and re-establishes a relationship with the city”.

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