Liege-Guillemins Railway Station in Belgium

Liege Guillemins Railway Station in Belgium
The sweeping steel-and-glass structure of Liège-Guillemins railway station stands as one of Europe’s most recognizable contemporary transport terminals. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and opened in 2009, the station was conceived as both a functional rail hub and a civic landmark, replacing an older mid-20th-century facility on the same site. Its vast, arching roof—constructed without a traditional façade—allows daylight to flood the platforms while emphasizing openness and movement rather than enclosure. Liège-Guillemins serves as a major junction on Belgium’s high-speed rail network, connecting Liège with Brussels, Paris, Cologne, and Frankfurt. The station’s design reflects early 21st-century priorities in European rail infrastructure: intermodality, passenger flow efficiency, and architectural visibility as a symbol of urban reinvestment. The exposed structure, rhythmic ribs, and inclined glazing make the engineering legible, turning the building itself into an expression of transit in motion.

The sweeping steel-and-glass structure of Liège-Guillemins railway station stands as one of Europe’s most recognizable contemporary transport terminals. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and opened in 2009, the station was conceived as both a functional rail hub and a civic landmark, replacing an older mid-20th-century facility on the same site. Its vast, arching roof—constructed without a traditional façade—allows daylight to flood the platforms while emphasizing openness and movement rather than enclosure. Liège-Guillemins serves as a major junction on Belgium’s high-speed rail network, connecting Liège with Brussels, Paris, Cologne, and Frankfurt. The station’s design reflects early 21st-century priorities in European rail infrastructure: intermodality, passenger flow efficiency, and architectural visibility as a symbol of urban reinvestment. The exposed structure, rhythmic ribs, and inclined glazing make the engineering legible, turning the building itself into an expression of transit in motion.

Photo taken in September 2017. © Chad Davis