Santiago Calatrava - Lyon - Satolas TGV Station

Santiago Calatrava

Santiago Calatrava's TGV train station was designed as a station connecting the airport to the city of Lyon. Though the design looks like a metaphor of a bird spreading its wings, Calatrava personally intended to gain inspiration through that of a human eye. The main entrance welcomes visitors with a V shaped concrete connecting four arches of the building which by spectators comprises as the beak of the bird sculpture. Down the centre, creating a spine for the building is an arch systems with glass to bring in natural light to the central of the interior during the day. The side arches making the wings of the building are made from steel and glazed windows that are supported through reinforced concrete.

  

My Observations

This building is truly a unique piece of architecture as it holds great symbolism being metaphored as a bird in flight relatable to its purpose of an entrance to an airport. The overall element used here is cantilevers, steel archways and plenty of glazed glass. The night picture shows that even after dark, this building can be seen from afar as a sculpture as well as a functionable building that is admired by many.

Elements gained from this are:

• Use of cantilever support
• Design around the theme and its environment (Cafe chair)
• Create a defying form that my question conventional ideas of a chair. 

Information gathered from:
http://www.arcspace.com/architects/calatrava/Lyon-Satolas/
http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/lyonairport/index.htm