Energy efficiency at the heart of a historic monument's renovation project

On the edge of the town of Saint-Omer stands the remarkable train station, with its neoclassical architecture, built in 1904 and modelled on a 17th century castle. Listed as a historic monument in 1984, it was part of 2016 renovation plan to become “The Station” in 2019: a hybrid location where the railway station meets spaces dedicated to digital technology and new ways of working.

After being left in a state of disrepair in 2011, the goal of this renovation was to create an innovation third place in Pays de Saint-Omer, while at the same time restoring the station’s original use. Thus, over 3,000 m² of multifunctional spaces spread over several floors have been redeveloped into shops, Fab-Labs, incubators and coworking spaces.

Saint-Omer train station renovation

This transformation was carried out by teams from Richez Associés and the Nathalie T’Kint architectural agencies, who had to contend with new energy efficiency and sustainable construction challenges. The materials used have therefore all been all selected with the aim of lessening the works’ environmental impact and reducing the building’s energy consumption, without altering its appearance or existing architecture.

Thermal insulation of the curtain wall: forster unico xs

For the thermal insulation of the curtain wall (doors and windows), Forster unico XS steel connections with thermal break materials, were installed by family-run business Loison, which specialises in metalwork.

This profile solution offers many advantages in response to the various challenges of the project. Its unique patented insulation system is made up of a central stainless-steel frame which not only is a 100% recyclable stainless steel solution, but also delivers excellent thermal and acoustic performances and preserves the subtleties of the original framework’s sightlines: an essential condition of this historic building’s renovation.

With the Forster unico xs thermal insulation range, it is possible to produce fixed frames with sightlines from 23 mm thick (55 mm for semi-fixed window sashes) for sizes up to 1480 mm in width by 2480 mm high. Its unique composition of metal framework combined with the robustness of the steel means it can support loads of up to 150 kg in order to integrate technical glazing to improve the sound insulation (up to Rw = 47 dB) and thermal insulation (Uw from 0.8 W/(m²∙K)), depending on the desired configurations.

This architectural project has become emblematic of the Saint-Omer region’s digital transformation.

Saint-Omer, Francia

Doors and windows with forster unico xs

Architecture: Richez & Associés with the Nathalie T’Kint agency

Metal construction: Loison

Client: Capso (Communauté d’Agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer)

Consultancies: Bérim, Alternative Consulting, Action-Ergo, Béatrice Fichet

Photography: Cécile Septet