Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub: A mass-timber expansion for public connectivity

In France’s fourth largest city, the 12,000-square-metre Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub is envisioned to expand Toulouse’s city centre by uniting bus, railway and metro systems to strengthen the public transport network.

The hub is expected to triple the number of daily passengers travelling in and out of the city by connecting to the central train station in the west and dovetailing pedestrian and bicycle flows towards the east, hence linking the city’s busiest areas, the UNESCO-listed Canal du Midi and the Périole neighbourhood.

The building will reference the urban roofscape by using a rose-coloured, crystalline roof along with traditional Foraine (terracotta) bricks. It will be constructed mainly in mass timber and employ low-carbon concrete, rammed earth and textile materials, as well as utilise skylights, natural ventilation and photovoltaics on the roof. Local plants and trees are planted in the building area and bike station to echo the vegetation of the Haute-Garonne region.

Public spaces and connections

The hub’s structure is designed to gradually rise in a sloping movement from the main entrance canopy in the south towards the north, reaching 32 meters in height towards the railway tracks. Passing through the bus station and the main entrance, travellers will be led below ground to the railway, the metro lines and the transport hub’s hang-out areas.

There will be 4,400 square metres of public spaces provided across the ground floor and two sub-levels, including areas for rest and for commercial and cultural activities. Maison du Climat, an initiative to further the public’s knowledge on environmental topics, will also manage an event space for exhibitions, conferences, and workshops in this area. The two sub-level floors will also be connected to a 1000-unit open-air bike park.

As the structure grows in height, each level gradually recedes, creating a triangular shape. This enables visual connections across floors and pulls daylight down to the building’s lowest levels, accommodating comfortable and easy navigation for travellers throughout the day. Floors one to six will function as a 6,600-square-metre office space for the 350 employees of the Occitanie Region.

The building is set to attain Silver Occitanie Sustainable Buildings certification as well as the Biodiversity Effinature and HQE (Hauté Qualite Environmentale) Infrastructure certification.

PROJECT DATA

Project Name
Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub

Location
Toulouse, France

Status
Construction to begin in 2026

Expected Completion
2028

Area
12,000 square metres

Client/Owner
Région Occitanie, Toulouse Métropole, Europolia – Agence Régionale Aménagement Construction (ARAC) Occitanie

Architecture Firms
BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group; A+ Architecture

Collaborators
A+R Paysages; ALTO; CL Design; dUCKS scéno; Systematica; Franck Boutté; LASA; Les Eclaireures; l’Echo SBP; MBacity; FER-PLAY

Images
BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group 

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