The other morning I found myself in northwestern central Paris around the Gare St.Lazare. This is not my normal stomping ground, so I took the time to go and have a look at the striking curved-glass metro entrance that was built as for Paris’ newest metro line, the driverless 14.
The architects and the engineers on the project were Arte Charpentier and RFR respectively.
The glass has a double curvature: that is to say, like a dome or the saddle for a horse, the glass curves in two different directions. The lateral stability of the structure is assured by the fine metal cross-bracing that can be spanning diagonally across the frames. The frames are in stainless steel, a material that, thanks to its many different crystal faces, reflects light from many different aspects.
Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to have a closer look at how the various elements are joined, which is always the devil in projects such as this where transparency is the goal.
You can see a slideshow of photos of the Gare St.Lazare station entrance from my engineering photo site by clicking here.
Rosy
lovely photos oli!
j’aime le train xxxxx