RBCH architectes
Historic train shed
best architects 24
other buildings
Place
Châtel-St-Denis, Switzerland
Studio
Photos
Lionel Henriod
Description
The modernisation of the public transport company’s
infrastructures has resulted in the new station of Châtel-St-Denis being moved
away from its former location. The shed that bordered the old tracks and was formerly
used as a depot for historic trains had to be moved. Its structure, proof of an
era’s local knowledge of wood crafts, was carefully dismantled, numbered and
reassembled in Montbovon. This new site, subject to heavier snow loads than
those considered during the original design, required a duplication of the
supporting structure. The geometry of this new structure is deliberately
different from the old one, its recessed position making it possible to
highlight the old triangulated structure. The interior of the depot houses
three tracks. A small concrete volume used as a workshop for renovation and
maintenance work on old historic trains is positioned on the axis of the
concrete track. Its raw expression contrasts with the finesse and elegance of
the wooden frame.