A New Station in Moncef Bey

École Nationale d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme (ENAU) Tunis

Project idea

In modern cities, shaped by an increased need for traffic efficiency and functionality, still subsist what we call places of transit. These places of transit or “non-lieux” as the anthropologist Marc Augé called them, are spaces that seem to belong to no-one. These places are the stations and the terminals, which you pass by every day because it is a necessity, not because you actually wanted to. Their interior is shaped by the stress, the urge and the anxiety of their users. These places are still common nowadays. In Tunis, Moncef Bey station is the most representative of their characteristics. The station is a hangar in very bad shape and has many issues both in its structure and its program. But, because it’s a very important terminal on the scale of the country, this place of transit must become a contemporary station.

Project description

A new extension will be added to the old building. This new extension will host retail, restaurants, cafes and a library, but also the ticket office, the administration and a rest place for the travellers. The old building will serve as a parking for the travelling vans. The front of the new extension will serve as a public place and a park. It will host temporary activities and can be used as a gathering place for the neighbours. The new station won’t be just a building for travellers, but also a public building for the city, the inhabitants of the neighbourhood and passers-by.

Technical information

To transform this station, it was first needed to demolish some anarchic constructions nearby, to clear the room for an extension. he old building will be renovated, its roof will be replaced by a new one.