2024-05-09 21:56:47
We had to wait longer than expected, the Covid having been there… The three new RER E stations have just opened to the public to extend the line to the west of the Haussman-Saint Lazare station with the Neuilly-Porte Maillot, La Défense and Nanterre-La Folie stops. And again it will only be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and until 8 p.m. on weekends until the end of November, while waiting for all of the new trains to be deployed. As for the rest of the line which should make it possible to connect Mantes la Jolie (Yvelines), it will only be operational in 2026 (compared to 2024 originally planned).
Despite these disappointments, it must be recognized that these monumental achievements and particularly the two underground stations of the Swimsuit holder and La Défense are worth a look. A sign that does not deceive, we could even see Parisian travelers there with a smile on their lips and SNCF staff who did not hesitate to thank the architect Jean-Marie Duthilleul for his work who designed the place with his agency. It must be said that he knows this RER line well, since it was he who also designed the two new stations on this same route in 1999: Haussmann-Saint Lazare and Magenta.
Bring in the light
If we find in these two new stations chandeliers quite similar to those used in 1999 as well as white marble and wood on the floor, what is specific to these two stations is that they are not placed in a tunnel but were dug from above: directly from the ground for Porte Maillot and from the CNIT car park for La Défense. Result: much more slender volumes for these two monumental achievements. “As it was necessary to dig to reach 30 meters underground to install the line, I wanted to bring in daylight up to that point, explains Jean-Marie Duthilleul. The principle is very simple but it generated some constraints.”
It’s an understatement to say it… An element directly visible from the outside, the Neuilly-Porte Maillot station is characterized by this strip of glass 120 meters long and 10 meters wide located exactly above the tracks. “It’s the largest glass sidewalk in the capital”, laughs Jean-Marie Duthilleul. Because those who are not afraid of heights can jump onto these 5 cm thick screen-printed slabs which let daylight pass through, as promised, right into the bowels of the station. But safety requires, the work having started shortly after the attack in Nice, studs were installed all around this glass strip to prevent a crazy vehicle from being able to launch through the glass roof of the station. It was also necessary to integrate fire safety issues in the absence of a fire-resistant concrete slab above the railway tracks. This explains why the large escalators were “covered”, installed in aluminum cylinders ensuring safety and reflection of light.
Temporary that lasts
And how can we explain these two very different entrances: a glass prism on the Neuilly-sur-Seine side and a stretched canvas on the Paris side? “For the canvas, it’s a project that was done while walking, specifies Jean-Marie Duthilleul. Basically it was a temporary structure which was installed at one point during the construction site. Finally, we realized that the installation had real signage benefits, was very easy to spot, and that it could very well be permanent.” And after leaving this very bright station, all in doubt and obliquely, heading towards its “little” sister of La Défense-Grande Arche.
This time rounded lines and curved lines are in the spotlight. A link between the two stations: the same chandeliers (only the setting is different) but also the white Carrara marble on the floor, whose virtues were validated by the architect after 25 years of use at Haussmann6Saint-Lazare as well than the use of wood on the quays. “I wanted this very domestic and warm material which contrasts with concrete and metal,” emphasizes Jean-Marie Duthilleul. Here too, we had to battle with fire safety constraints to impose these bamboo slats. Moreover, a short fire on the construction site on the La Défense side had proven that the parquet flooring was particularly resistant.
In this second station, in the absence of daylight, we benefit from even more generous volumes. What stands out are these 20 raw concrete columns measuring 2.44 meters in diameter which support the CNIT which is located just above. The rounded shapes are also found in the white shapes which adorn the walls of the technical rooms with Corian. Finally, a friendly and playful touch in a station where the platform is central, the architect wanted to prevent travelers from finding themselves facing a dark and sinister wall. This is why we find in front of the platforms a metal strip which makes waves like distorting mirrors, constantly creating movement and animation.
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