We told you about it a few weeks ago, but now it’s official: the most beautiful metro station in the world is in Paris. It’s the brand-new Villejuif – Gustave Roussy station, inaugurated on January 18. This futuristic station has just been awarded the Prix de Versailles for its unique design. Designed by Dominique Perrault, this luminous metal vessel holds another record: that of the deepest station in the Paris region. With all that, it’s well worth a detour, isn’t it?
Villejuif – Gustave Roussy station: the world’s most beautiful metro station is in Paris
It took eight years to build this station out of a science fiction film! This emblematic station of Greater Paris is expected to welcome an average of 100,000 passengers a year. It also plans to accommodate line 15 south in addition to the extension of line 14, which is currently in service. Luminous and incredibly silent, the station unfolds over nine levels… But that doesn’t mean the light doesn’t shine down on the 50-metre-deep station! Another interesting fact: of the 32 escalators, two go down to a depth of 40 meters.
All this could be oppressive for passengers, but the opposite is true. Every detail has been designed to reflect the light, which enters through the sculpted glass dome. Here, stainless steel seems almost alive, changing texture to play with volumes and create a highly aesthetic contrast: sometimes smooth, then meshed, perforated or satin-finished… So many ways to make this a priori cold material luminous and warm. Everything is done to make you forget you’re in a basement. As architect Dominique Perrault puts it: “You get the impression that the station is flying, that there’s no weight. This impression of lightness can be felt in the transparency of the materials, making the premises almost poetic.
A well-deserved prize!