The Prix Versailles has announced the seven stations that will be included in the 2025 edition of its World’s Most Beautiful Passenger Stations list. Three of these are in Europe, two are in Saudi Arabia, one is in Australia, and one is in China.
Announced yearly at UNESCO since 2015, the Prix Versailles aims to reward outstanding examples of contemporary architecture in categories such as airports, university campuses, passenger stations, sports venues, museums, shops, hotels, and restaurants.
The prize recognises projects that most successfully combine creative and aesthetic excellence while honouring local heritage and the community and participation values promoted by the United Nations. Laureates must also demonstrate intelligent sustainability and consider the ecological, social and cultural impacts of their design.
Jérôme Gouadain, Secretary-General of the Prix Versailles, explains that “dialogue and cohesion between the different aspects of the human environment, whether ecological, social or cultural, are key to intelligent, sustainable development. This is more than just a goal; it is a promising opportunity to address the challenges of the modern world”.
The seven laureates for 2025
1. Gadigal Station – Sydney, Australia
Designed by a collaboration including Foster + Partners (Design Architect) and COX Architecture (Executive Architect), the station is named after the Aboriginal custodians of the land. Inside, bright yellow, deep blue, purple and red tiles evoke the colours of Sydney’s sandstone, water and sky.
2. Mons Station – Belgium
First opened in 1841, the station has recently been entirely redesigned by the world-famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The newly inaugurated station has been praised for its “aerial style, clean lines, and dazzling white steel forms”. Calatrava also designed Liège-Guillemins Station. The new complex is built around a monumental 165-metre-long raised gallery that spans the tracks.
3. Baiyun Station – Guangzhou, China
Recently refurbished and expanded by Nikken Sekkei, Baiyun Station now features a vast foyer framed by soaring white arches and a glass roof that floods the hall with natural light. The redevelopment also introduced shops and an urban park, and the station now serves 24 high-speed rail lines, six subway lines and three bus terminals.
4. Saint-Denis – Pleyel Station – Saint-Denis, France
Situated in the eponymous northern suburb of Paris, the Saint-Denis station was designed by Japanese studio Kengo Kuma and Associates and opened last year. The multi-level station is decorated with wooden slats and floor-to-ceiling glass windows that flood the interior with natural light.
5. Villejuif – Gustave Roussy Station – Villejuif, France
Designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture and opened in January 2025, the station lies forty minutes south of Paris. One of the deepest stations in France, it features a cylindrical layout and a glass-and-steel roof that curves inwards like an inverted escalator.
6. KAFD Station – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) station was inaugurated in December 2024. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the station’s flowing exterior evokes desert dunes under a vast blue sky.
7. Qasr Al Hokm Station – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The station takes its name from the district in which it is located, home to Riyadh’s historic ‘Palace of Justice’. Designed by Snøhetta from Norway, it is crowned by a striking curved stainless-steel canopy that disperses light through the building and reflects off the polished floors.
Several common features emerge among this year’s laureates: an emphasis on light and transparency through large glass spans, open atria, and glazed roofs; sculptural, expressive structures making bold architectural statements; and a strong connection to their urban environments, each reflecting its geographic and cultural context.
As Gouadain stresses, these structures are already part of this century’s heritage – “like lungs breathing new life into the city”, they redefine society’s perception of mobility, placing beauty at the service of its inhabitants.
