File:Calatrava in Liège (4845914732).jpg

Liège Guillemins Station is a major node in the European high speed rail network; an indispensable link between London, Paris, Brussels and Germany. Calatrava's new Liège Guillemins Station links two very distinct areas of Liége, previously divided by the railway tracks, the north side towards the city, a typical run-down 19th century urban area, and the Cointe Hill to the south, a landscaped residential area. The concept for the design was transparency and an urban dialog with the city. Transparency is translated by the monumental vault, constructed of glass and steel, with its soaring canopies extending 145 meters over the five platforms. The huge glass building replaces the traditional facade and establishes a seamless interaction between the interior of the station and the city. The station is organized vertically: Towards the Place de la Gare the rail platforms and the access footbridge stack over 3 levels. Towards Cointe Hill, ten meters above, there are five levels; three parking levels, a vehicular access deck linking with the footbridge, and a raised pedestrian walkway. At the Place de la Gare level, reinforcing the urban streetscape, is a continuous strip of commercial units. Pedestrian bridges and walkways under the tracks allow for fluid communication between the two sides of the station. The grand Passenger Hall and the SNCB ticketing area are located on the main axis. The project has no facade in the traditional sense, since the interaction between interior and exterior is seamless. The monumental roof becomes, in effect, the project’s facade. To an observer on the hill, the roof reveals something of the inner organization of the station. To an observer within the station, the structural arches of the roof frame the views to the outside. From any vantage point, the sensation of transparency prevails.

Construction area: 49,000 square meters (including roads) Overall length: 488 meters Total area of Glass Roof: 33,000 square meters