FFS Train Station District / Dominique Perrault Architecture

The project for the FFS Train Station District by Dominique Perrault Architecture was born from a simple action: covering the small station of Locarno-Muralto by a large balcony platform on Lake Maggiore. So, on the infrastructure, lays a large public space, the Piazza Grande, an void space that allows to freely cross the city and create a new centrality. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The town of Locarno is famous for its lake and its festival for over 60 years, welcomes every evening between 7 and 8,000 visitors. Around the square, new programs can be arranged: hotel, shops, housing. Small bijou in the heart of the new place, the new Convention Center with flexible roofs that open and close as the sides of a box of paper, will double the current capacity of the festival. On this spectacular roof, may be held screenings of films having a view of the lake and Italy as a framework.

Architects: Dominique Perrault Architecture
Location: Locarno, Switzerland
Engineering: AI Engineering (engineering) ; CITEC Ingénieurs Conseils SA (mobility), Gabriel Choukroun / Yves Krawczyk (programing consultancy)
Client: FFS Federal Railways, City Council of Muralto
Site Area: 25,000 m²
Built Area: 57,500 m²
Built Volume: 200,000 m³