High design for high speed travel

In the budding city of Montpellier, the new “Sud-de-France” station is becoming a hub for France’s high-speed train network - and looking great while doing it.

Besides its elegance, Montpellier Sud-de-France is also a highly functional and spacious transport hub, cutting travel times from Montpellier to Paris while also connecting the city to Barcelona and Madrid by rail.

The roof is a Ductal structure of 115 curved “waves” spanning over 18 meters with 10,000 glazed openings to create a bright and spacious interior. The wave shape of the building provides structural resistance to wind, while also channeling it to cool the interior spaces naturally. Made with a combination of the highest quality ingredients, Ductal is perfectly suited to create elegant but stable structures. The ultra-high strength combined with the unmatched workability of the material gives the architectural freedom to experiment and push the boundaries of buildings and public spaces.

Thanks to Holcim’s ultra high performance concrete Ductal, the station’s iconic interior has won a special category of the Prix Versailles, a prestigious architecture award. To win, buildings must show a combination of innovative use of materials and a creative design that reflects natural and cultural heritage.

Through its large portfolio of sustainable building materials Holcim is enabling green mobility while putting sustainable construction at the heart of its efforts. Putting our innovation to work, more than 50% of our research resources are focused on low-carbon products, with 40% of our patents currently in this area.

Credits : Gare TGV Montpellier / Architecture : Marc MIMRAM / Photos : Hisao SUZUKI