Single-layer ETFE roof for Le Bourget metro station, Paris
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Buitink TechnologyThe new Le Bourget Aéroport metro station on line 17 of the Grand Paris Express has a transparent single-layer ETFE roof: 25 double-curved membranes covering about 1,700 m². Working for our French partner Highpoint, Buitink Technology carried out the engineering and produced the aluminium clamping and tensioning profiles and all ETFE membranes. The station stands next to the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace and Le Bourget airport, a site exposed to high wind loads.
25 double-curved ETFE membranes
The roof consists of long, undulating fields of ETFE film between curved aluminium arches. Each membrane is curved in two directions, which gives the roof both its shape and its stiffness. At least 15 cables per membrane carry the wind load through the film to the profiles, so a single layer of ETFE is enough and the roof stays light and transparent.
Every membrane is made to measure and fits its own section of the structure exactly. We modelled the roof shape in 3D and determined the cutting patterns for each field.
Our own aluminium tensioning profile
For this project Buitink developed a new aluminium clamping and tensioning profile that holds the film on the curved arches and brings it to tension. The profiles were bent to radius and tested together with the ETFE before series production started.
A mock-up of part of the roof was used to test the details, the tension and the assembly sequence in advance, so the installation team knew exactly how everything fits together on site.
From drawing to building site
The curved aluminium arches, the profiles and the packed membranes travelled to Paris by truck in numbered sets, in the order of installation. Highpoint installed the roof on the station in 2025.
Why single-layer ETFE for a station
- Light: a single-layer ETFE membrane weighs less than half a kilo per m², so a slender supporting structure is sufficient;
- Daylight: the film lets light into the station hall;
- UV resistant: does not yellow or become brittle;
- Fire safe: self-extinguishing, no burning droplets;
- Self-cleaning: dirt hardly sticks, rain washes the film clean.
Project details
| Project: | Le Bourget Aéroport metro station, Grand Paris Express line 17 |
| Owner: | Société des Grands Projets (formerly Société du Grand Paris) |
| Client: | Highpoint, La Rochelle (France) |
| Area: | approx. 1,700 m², 25 membranes |
| System: | Single-layer ETFE, double-curved, with cables in the film |
| Material: | Transparent ETFE film, aluminium clamping and tensioning profiles, stainless steel cables |
| Engineering and production: | Buitink Technology |
| Installation: | Highpoint |
| Completion: | 2025 |
Read more about single-layer ETFE on ETFE roof structures. See also the ETFE canopy on platform 4 in Tilburg.
More photos of the station and the ETFE roof can be found on the Grand Paris Express station page and on Highpoint's project page.
FAQs
What is a single-layer ETFE roof?
A roof made of one layer of tensioned ETFE film, without air cushions. The membrane is clamped into an aluminium profile and brought to tension. It is light, transparent and more economical than a cushion roof, but it does not insulate.
How large can a single-layer ETFE membrane be?
That depends on the curvature and the wind load. With cables in the film, as at Le Bourget, long fields can be spanned with a single layer of ETFE.
Does Buitink also install?
Yes. We engineer, produce and install ETFE roofs ourselves, or supply a partner who installs, as Highpoint did on this project.
Questions?
Do you have questions or want more information? Please feel free to contact us. Call us at +31 (0)316-250830. But even easier: fill out the contact form below directly. We will contact you as soon as possible!
