2016–2017
Station F, startup campus, Paris
Station F, formerly known as Halle Freyssinet, is a former railway building and parcel hall at the Gare d’Austerlitz in Paris’s 13th arrondissement. It was built in the 1920s by Eugène Freyssinet and is notable for its prestressed reinforced concrete architecture. The 34,000-square-meter building, renovated by the architectural firm Wilmotte et associés, will soon house more than 1,000 startups as part of an initiative by Xavier Niel.
The signage is based on two typefaces. Each pays homage to the periods of innovation and change that have marked the site: Cargo, created by Optimo Type Foundry, embodies the early 20th century, and Freyssinet, an original creation by Intégral Designers, represents the 21st century and the building’s new function. The Station F wayfinding system was designed to complement the architecture of Wilmotte & Associés in a understated and elegant manner, while leaving room for the various startups that will occupy the space. To achieve this, the information signage uses three main font sizes in black or white. Certain elements stand out, such as the three illuminated “Station F” signs on the exterior, neon numbering inside that delineates the startups’ workspaces, as well as colorful or holographic markings on the building’s exterior featuring the names of the venue’s three spaces (Share, Create, and Chill).
Design Team — Ruedi Baur, Eva Kubinyi, David Thoumazeau, and Anouck Fenech Freyssinet
Font Design — Robin Coenen, Anouck Fenech, Danielle Rosales
Architects — Wilmotte & associés architectes