photographs show the progress of studio libeskind's station in nice

daniel libeskind’s Gare Thiers-Est takes shape in nice

In the French Riviera’s city of Nice, Studio Libeskind‘s Gare Thiers-Est (East Thiers Station) is taking shape. Designed in collaboration with local architects Fevrier Carre Architectes and landscape architect Jean Mus, the project forms part of a wider redevelopment. The masterplan involves the introduction of 18,300 square meters of high-end commercial space of shops and restaurants, as well as a hotel, a 600-seat auditorium, co-working spaces, and terraced cafés. Photographer Paul Clemence of ARCHI-PHOTO travels to the site to document the progress of the ambitious project’s construction.

all images © Paul Clemence | @photobyclemence (unless otherwise stated)

the crystalline design

While the Gare Thiers-Est in Nice is designed to reflect its surroundings, the architects at Studio Libeskind take inspiration from the crystallized mineral forms of azurite. The multifaceted structure rises nearly 40 meters (over 130 feet) into the air, obscuring the rail tracks.

Construction began in late 2017, and completion was initially forecasted for the end of 2019. With an ongoing setback of three years, the status now sees the building’s structural framing taking shape to reveal its sculptural, crystalline form. See designboom’s 2017 coverage including early visualizations of the project here.

2017 visualization by morph

Photographer Paul Clemence writes of the building: ‘This was a very inspiring construction site to shoot! The play of Libeskind’s signature skewed geometry, its structural ‘Beams’ and ‘Columns’ creating dynamic diagonals running up and down, left and right, all in a playful dance with the orthogonal scaffolding grid and the high cranes.’

When the design of the Nice station was first unveiled, Daniel Libeskind said: ‘This project represents the forward thinking of the city of Nice to create a major architectural landmark and to rejuvenate the surrounding area near the Theirs station in this historic city. My aim was to create a building that is seen from all angles — that will become the connective tissue between two sectors and reconnect the neighborhoods. It will serve to reflect the city, the light and the landscape.‘