Bjarke Ingels Group and A+ Architects have revealed the design for the 12,000-square-meter Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub in Toulouse, France. The project will expand the functionality of the city’s central station, Gare Matabiau, strengthening the area’s public transport networks by creating a hub for bus, railway, and metro, all connected under one roof. The design of the new hub takes cues from the city’s distinctive roofscape and the traditional use of the rose-colored “foraine” brick, employing a mass timber structure and low-carbon concrete to ensure a sustainable intervention adapted to its environment. The Hub is set to begin construction in 2026.
As the number of daily passengers traveling to and from the city is expected to triple in the next period, the Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub is dimensioned to respond to the city’s needs and facilitate a seamless travel experience. The shape of the hub is adapted to connect to the central train station in the west and dovetails towards the city’s pedestrian and bicycle flows that connect the area to the historic city center and the UNESCO-listed Canal du Midi and the Périole neighborhood.
Built mainly in mass timber, the hub’s structure gradually rises from its main entrance in the south, reaching a maximum height of 32 meters towards the rail tracks. This shape encourages visual connections across floors, allows natural daylight to enter the building’s lowest levels, and helps travelers to easily navigate the space. Partitions in the space are built of rammed earth and textiles, while the underground floors are constructed with low-carbon concrete. The rose color of the concrete is a reference to the “foraine” brick, a traditional material used throughout the area.
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"Architecture Can Be the Vehicle to Change How We Think About Traditional Typologies": In Conversation with BIG Partner, João AlbuquerqueThe structure’s roof features photovoltaics matching the rose color of the roof, punctured by skylights. Public spaces, including gathering areas, and spaces for cultural and commercial activities, measuring a total of 4,400 sqm are spread across the ground floor and the two sublevel floors, which provide space for the 1000-unit open-air bicycle parking. The remaining upper floors function as a 6,600 sqm office space for the 350 employees of the Occitanie Region.
Additionally, local greenery is planted throughout the building to echo the vegetation of the Haute-Garonne region of France. The building is designed to obtain the Silver Occitanie Sustainable Buildings certification, as well as the Biodiversity Effinature and HQE Infrastructure certification.
The new Transport hub's folded roof, rising from the Marengo parvis, defines the main hall with lush greenery and ample daylight, welcoming visitors and leading them to metro and train tracks below. The building's elegant silhouette, growing northward in height, curves along rue de Périole. Ground and lower floors will offer areas for rest and retail and the Maison du Climat event space, while upper floors accommodate regional offices. Pursuing low-carbon solutions in the design, we employed mass timber, low carbon concrete, and natural ventilation throughout, with photovoltaics on the roof. This simple yet multifunctional design transforms the roof into Toulouse's new landmark. - Jakob Sand, Partner in Charge, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
Continuing the theme of interventions in complex urban environments, BIG has recently revealed the updated design for the Vltava Philharmonic Hall in Prague, a commission won following an international competition. The office has also announced a new project to take shape on Manhattan’s East River waterfront, a large-scale development scheduled to include an in-park Museum of Freedom and Democracy in addition to the cantilevered towers joined at the top by rooftop gardens.
Project credits:
- Collaborators: A+ Architecture, A+R Paysages, ALTO, CL Design, dUCKS scéno, Systematica, Franck Boutté, LASA, Les Eclaireures, l'Echo SBP, MBacity, FER-PLAY
- Partner in Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Jakob Sand
- Project Lead: Claudia Bertolotti
- BIG Team: Charlie Laran, Dervan Ahmed, Gustavo Alejandro Lopez Rodriguez, Hyojin Lee, Marco Sartoretto, Martyna Kloda, Mathieu Michel Cardinal, Oliwia Jagla, Yanis Amasri Sierra
- BIG Landscape: Giulia Frittoli, Sasha Spasic
- BIG Sustainability: Johannes Alexander Hackl, Will Chuanruy Yu
