Grand Paris Express Now Has a Dazzling Keystone

The Grand Paris Express is Europe’s most ambitious civil engineering undertaking, spanning over 200 km of automated metro lines and 68 new stations. This massive infrastructure project embodies a territorial transformation and the making of a new urban experience aligned with aspirations for modern metropolitan living. At the heart of this visionary initiative, the Grand Paris Express has unveiled its newest architectural addition: the Villejuif-Gustave Roussy Station. Designed by architect Dominique Perrault, the transport hub’s helicoidal structure draws the urban fabric toward the underground, erasing the boundaries between open public and enclosed station space and blurring the limits of the city. This underground marvel exemplifies innovative design that enhances connectivity, urban development, and social integration. 

Architecture Responds to the Local Context

Descending 50 meters beneath the surface, the station redefines conventional architecture with its striking cylindrical central shaft. Perrault refers to it as an “inverted skyscraper,” where the city’s ground level becomes the sky above the railways. 

“This notion of arrival is something very important.” says Perrault. “When you step out of the metro, you immediately find yourself in natural light. Unlike most stations, Villejuif has no galleries, corridors or long tunnels. Through this shaft, open to the sky, users come into direct contact with natural light and outside air. The particular context of this station, located close to the Institut Gustave Roussy and a foot from a hospital, reinforced this requirement for well-being.

Strategically located at a crucial nexus between the extended Line 14 and Line 15 South, the station anticipates a daily flow of 100,000 passengers. Its positioning adjacent to Europe’s premier cancer treatment facility, the Institut Gustave Roussy, and the emerging ZAC Campus Grand Parc, makes it more than a transit hub, but a catalyst for urban regeneration. 

“As part of this plan, the station is a ‘place of exchange’, a central element of the interconnections between the hospital, the future buildings and the park,” says Perrault. 

Art and Materials at Grand Paris Express

Resilient materials like concrete, stainless steel, glass, and wire mesh are used not only for durability but also to support energy efficiency through passive environmental control.  

Art also takes center stage in the station with Chilean artist Ivan Navarro‘s “Cadran Solaire,” on level – 9’s circular ceiling.  Featuring an intricate arrangement of neon lights and mirrors, the celestial stary sky–like installation transforms the daily commute into an immersive cultural experience, advancing the network’s vision of making metro stations accessible public museums. 

This architectural achievement stands as a powerful symbol of urban evolution, where innovative design, sustainability, and cultural enrichment converge to create a new paradigm for public transportation infrastructure.  

The station serves not only as a means of transportation but also as a catalyst for community building, solidifying its position as a cornerstone in Paris’s urban development.