Designed alongside Geneva-based FdMP Architectes, the project’s most notable feature is its sloped roof, with the lowest point matching the height of its neighbours to the west and preventing the building from blocking sunlight on the rue des Gares. The slope reaches its maximum height on the east of the building, where the site backs onto the train tracks. The edges of the building on this side are determined by the irregular boundaries of the site, and the combination of the slope and the unusual plan results in the design’s unique, eye-catching roofline.

Thanks to its verticality, the design frees up public space on the south forecourt. This public square creates a clear, user-friendly, and generous interface between the building and a new entrance to the station. A green curtain, planted with trees and flowerbeds, acts as a buffer between the railway tracks and the Montbrillant district.

The design incorporates a variety of strategies to reduce energy consumption: the sloped roof incorporates solar panels, while the social space offers a crucial asset for climate control, working alongside heat exchange pumps to create an efficient passive ventilation system. In addition, the structure of the building is proposed to be built mainly in wood and the façade uses terracotta and aluminium, all of which can be sustainably sourced to reduce the embodied carbon of the construction.