Art and Architecture Conference centred on ‘La Ligne 18’ - Nov 3th, 2026

Line 18 will be the first new metro line in Île-de-France in 30 years. Led by the Société des grands projets (SGP), it will eventually link Orly Airport to Versailles – Chantiers, serving the Saclay Plateau, the scientific and academic heart of the Île-de-France region. An initial section, between Massy–Palaiseau and Christ de Saclay, will open to the public in late 2026, bringing about a lasting transformation in how 70,000 students, researchers and employees on the plateau travel.
But building a metro line also means shaping the landscape and telling the story of a region. On Line 18, three elevated stations — Université Paris-Saclay, Polytechnique and Christ de Saclay — have been conceived as true architectural statements, in close collaboration with the artists commissioned to bring their spaces to life.
To mark this occasion, the Société des grands projets is bringing together those who have driven this project forward: the architects from Atelier Novembre, responsible for designing the three elevated stations in partnership with the Benthem Crouwel practice, and the artist Anne-Flore Cabanis, whose work Lignes du plateau is on display at Polytechnique station. Together, they will reflect on their work, their vision and how this collaboration between architecture and artistic creation took shape as the project progressed.
Speakers:
— Jacques Pajot, architect, Atelier Novembre
— Natacha Fricout, architect, Atelier Novembre
— Anne-Flore Cabanis, artist, work Tandem at Polytechnique station
— Pierre-Emmanuel Becherand, Head of Architecture and Culture, Société des grands projets