Montigny-lès-Metz Maintenance and Stabling Facility
A new-generation rail maintenance facility combining industrial performance with ambitious low-carbon design.
Designed by AREP for trains operating on the Nancy–Thionville–Luxembourg route, the new Montigny-lès-Metz maintenance and stabling facility combines the operational requirements of an industrial programme, designed to facilitate the maintenance and stabling of 41 Fluo Grand Est trainsets, with the environmental ambitions of AREP’s EMC2B approach (Energy, Matter, Carbon, Climate and Biodiversity).
The largest rail maintenance centre in the Grand Est region, it is one of the first railway workshops to feature an all-timber structure. The project uses 2,045 m³ of locally sourced timber from the Vosges and Jura forests. Reused stone for the façades and solar shading also helps reduce the building’s embodied carbon. This strong environmental approach extends to the roof, where 1,540 m² of photovoltaic panels are combined with green roofs and a rainwater harvesting system.
- “Excellent” rating under the BBCA standard at design stage
Connected to the district heating network, the workshop features 1,540 m² of photovoltaic panels and 70 m² of solar thermal panels. Its east and west entrances are fitted with solar-control insulating glazing (Ug = 1.0 W/m²K)..
The project makes extensive use of reuse, reducing embodied carbon by 16%, while avoiding additional linings to the CLT walls and exposed services in the office areas. A 300 m³ rainwater harvesting tank further reduces resource use.
The project achieved an “Excellent” rating under the BBCA (Low-Carbon Building) standard at design stage, with the same level of performance targeted for completion.
Across the site, 228 newly planted trees, 1,710 m² of green roofs and 4,783 m² of white roofs help mitigate the urban heat island effect.
Landscape design across the 12-hectare site also maintains the continuity of the ecological corridor identified in the local urban plan.