Accedi
Utenti registrati
The Hôpital Bicêtre station was established with a specific design objective: to become a strategic point and assert a new centrality between the bordering hospital and the cities of Le Kremlin-Bicêtre and Gentilly, just south of Paris. Part of the new line 14 extension connecting Orly Airport to the center of the French capital, the station also enhances the access to the hospital from the west side. It was inaugurated just in time for the 2024 summer Olympic Games in Paris, majorly improving the public transportation capabilities and connections to and from the airport.
Votazioni chiuse
The station is located in a densely urbanized area where several redevelopment projects are poised to energize the neighborhood, notably a new Eco-District. Urban planning decisions for this part of the city, the growing importance of the Bicêtre University Hospital, and the presence of the new station all contribute to these major transformation projects happening in Paris’ bordering suburbs, all part of the new “Grand Paris” urban area. One notable structural feature of the station is its platforms, buried 22 meters underground. Positioned along rue Gabriel Péri overlooking Paris, its forecourts and pedestrian areas are oriented toward panoramic views of the capital.
The station’s unique wood-structure roof canopy serves as a key identifier of the project. The distinctive atmosphere of the station is built through the horizontal expanse of its large roof and the casual sequence of simple wall structures. Favoring wood for both its frame and soffit, the broad canopy will bring a unique ambiance to the station hall — offering a sensory experience of well-being and natural light all throughout the day.
As part of the Grand Paris artist-architect tandems initiative, VIGUIER has partnered with contemporary artist Eva Jospin to create a permanent artwork that complements the identity of the site, melding art with architecture. The artist has created a composition consisting of sculpted rock faces on the exterior façade of the station, made of concrete strata, over which bronze vines grow. Inspired by Federico Fellini’s film Roma, in which ancient wonders emerge during the construction of the metro, she refers to the idea of petrification and archaeological discoveries revealed during the construction of the Grand Paris Express. This monumental artwork further enhances the monolithic, natural, and mineral esthetics of the station’s architecture.
The specific universe of the station is constructed through the horizontality of the roof and the casual sequence of the elementary walls. The use of wood for the structure aims to create a calm and sensory atmosphere, promoting the well-being of users. In this approach, the French artist Eva Jospin collaborated with VIGUIER by covering the facade with an ultra-tactile relief work. Promoting social ties, the Kremlin-Bicêtre Hôpital station aims to become the nerve center of the neighborhood.
VIGUIER is an internationally recognized architecture, urban planning and landscape design practice based in Paris, Casablanca, and Brussels. Founded in 1992 by Jean-Paul Viguier, it is comprised of about 60 professionals of a dozen different nationalities. The practice has put its clients’ needs at the heart of every project to deliver innovative and elegant design solutions worldwide.
A commitment to sustainable architecture and urban planning:
Designing the city with sustainability at the heart of the design process is one of the practice’s first responsibilities. The approach to environmental design rests on a number of fundamental principles: awareness of the context and the building’s biodiversity. Sustainability, the building’s reversibility, and space modularity. Materials’ lifecycle and possibilities for creating a circular economy; and an exemplary approach to energy from conception to maintenance, with the use of efficient low carbon materials.
