RBCH architectes

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.