Liège-Guillemins, Belgium
The Liège-Guillemins station scoffs at those who claim that the golden age of rail is over. The station, which opened in 2009 and draws heavily on airport-style architecture, is a strikingly modern blend of steel, glass, and white concrete. If you had no idea what Liège's main station was, you might guess a football stadium or a concert hall. This 2009 iteration of steel, glass, and white concrete looks like a UFO has landed atop a series of railway platforms, the latest of several reconstructions since the first station was built here in 1842 - a happy reminder that the evolution of train station design is far from over.
The sleek high-speed trains that use the station inspired Santiago Calatrava to design it in a way that would reflect the changes in rail travel. In keeping with modern efficiency, it only has five platforms and is dominated by a 32-meter-tall monumental arch.
His version finished in 2009, unites two neighborhoods that were previously divided by railroad tracks and replaces a 1958 International Style building (which itself replaced an 1842 Beaux Arts structure). The enormous ribbed vault that Calatrava designed here flows organically and suggests a wave breaking over the thousands of passengers who pass under it every day. This is a clear example of his interest in the plasticity of concrete.
