This project is part of the Grand Paris Express, an ambitious plan aimed at modernising the existing transportation network by introducing new automatic metro lines. The Clichy-Montfermeil station and the surrounding urban space take on significant importance as a symbolic intervention in a peripheral area marked by neglect and social challenges.
The Clichy-Montfermeil station is designed as a catalyst for urban renewal, fostering coexistence among local residents. In line with these objectives, the project begins with the urban space, where a large metal pergola envelops two built volumes and shelters the monumental entrance that guides passengers underground, echoing Hector Guimard’s iconic Parisian canopies.
At the same time, the new station presents an opportunity to reconnect the neighbourhood with its inhabitants, involving them in the project and creating a space they can identify with. From the competition phase, textiles representing the diverse cultures and ethnicities of the neighbourhood were studied and translated architecturally into a mesh of colourful metal panels covering the pergola.
This concept of vibrant fabrics accompanies travellers throughout their journey. The descent to the train platforms takes place through a vast atrium lined with colourful panels, illuminated both by natural light from the large glass floor opening onto the forecourt and by artificial light filtering through the perforations in the panels.
The façades of the exterior buildings, perforated with organic patterns, evoke the Bondy Forest—an essential green space for the entire region. These panels are complemented by a ceramic mural by French artist JR, featuring a large photomontage that captures the residents, making them the protagonists of his artwork and the surrounding urban space.
True to the principles of regeneration and integration that have guided its development from the outset, the project envisions and constructs an optimistic future for the neighbourhood, its residents, and their collective identity.
