ARCHITECT Jean-Maurice Dubé  ARTIST Antoine D. Lamarche and Claude Théberge  INAUGURATED 3 September 1978

Although centered like its neighbour Monk around an immense multistory space, Verdun does not share the same theme of muted grandeur. Instead, it softens the space's impact with lively colour and decoration.

After passing through low corridors from the kiosks, passengers descending on the escalators come upon a bird's eye view of the station's primary space, above the control area and the mezzanine.

The station uses a variety of unusual geometric forms to enliven the space, such as the bent shapes of the columns, the oblique 'giraffe-neck' lamps, and the acute angles in the bridge over the tracks. The ceiling and platforms taper towards the far end of the platform, enhancing the perspective effect of the huge room.

Another element that helps reduce the possible oppressiveness of the space is a skylight that sheds bright sunlight into the mezzanine.

These views of the volume and the platforms also show that the walls are decorated with murals, giving interest to the high spaces. The lower section of the walls are decorated with continuous bands of lavender and red. The upper parts of the walls are in unpainted concrete, which is however decorated with a bas-relief pattern of geometric forms, giving a subtle vibration to the grey expanses.

The very high ceilings over the whole length of the platform are very unusual. Owing to the weakness of the local bedrock (see De L'Église and Charlevoix), the whole station had to be dug cut-and-cover rather than in tunnel. This also accounts for the station's great depth.

As for the kiosks, there are two, one on either side of av. de Verdun. One is a free-standing glass-walled building, and another is integrated into a row of other buildings and connected by a tunnel. The red and lavender decorations continue all the way up into the latter kiosk.

MATT'S RATING