ARCHITECT

Jean-Louis Beaulieu

INAUGURATED

3 September 1978

A bird's-eye view of the Angrignon complex, circa 1978

This splendid station occupies 50 000 square metres of the surface of Angrignon Park, including a large terminal for buses to southwest Montreal, the West Island, and the South Shore.

Windows admit light onto the platform

The key to Angrignon's appeal is light. As soon as your train arrives at the station, it flashes from the dark tunnel into a brilliant dazzle of light all along the station's length, even brighter than at Jolicoeur metro two stations away.

The presence of the park is felt throughout the station. At either end of the platform, sunlight enters through long banks of windows.

Bank of windows and grassy slope, seen from outside

A grassy slope with small trees sinks from ground level to the level of the platform, Angrignon being therefore the only station whose platform is not entirely underground. This slope also brings the park well into evidence on the very platform. The windows also serve to balance the darkness that sometimes reigns on subway platforms.

View of the pavilion, with transparent domes above

At the centre of the platform, light filters down through an arcade of concrete beams which opens the platform into the mezzanine above.

The huge station pavilion (which includes the ticket hall) is covered in rows of semi-cylindrical translucent plexi domes, and walled almost entirely in the same material. The domes sit on top of a concrete-beam framework, giving the building a feeling of insubstantiality, almost like a bazaar or exposition pavilion. This feeling is supported by the fact that the domes, as well as the scaffolding-like framework, extend beyond the walls for a wide overhang.

Front elevation of the station
Domes extend out into the bus depot

The station includes a large metropolitan bus depot serving buses arriving from parts of the West Island as well as the South Shore. This area is composed of long piers, protected and visually linked to the station's pavilion by rows of domes repeating the same structures as the pavilion's roof.

The colour scheme of the windowframes and opaque walls is made up of warm, vivid hues. The curved windowframes are red-orange to strongly complement the green of the park. Colours on the walls include red, purple, and a bright lemon-yellow for a portion of the platform.

Yellow wall panels in the central platform Red, blue, and magenta accents in the central platform area Multicoloured vent outlet grilles The Ordre des Architectes du Québec awarded Jean-Louis Beaulieu a first prize in recognition of the undeniable merits of this wonderfully designed station.

MATT'S RATING

Image crosssection.jpg and birdseye.jpg from a booklet (no title) on the 1978 green line expansion. BTM, September 1978.