MEMORY

Commissioned by ADIF Agency for the Development of Railroad Infrastructures of Spain, the prototype that won the European prize for the future station of high speed trains was asked to be applied to the of the AVE High Speed Train Madrid-Barcelona-Paris. The existing Station of Barcelona-Francia is a unique opportunity of reuse of an abandoned, cast-iron structure of 2 vaults close to the Gothic Quarters of Barcelona and political-administrative center of Barcelona. The new rails will connect with the existing platform from Barcelona onwards. Therefore, the land is available for implementation. The accessibility is optimal with the periphery highway close to coastline recent redevelopment. The Station proposed is not a large architectural artifact but consists of 4 pavilion of cubical volume inside a large sunken, lineal space of about 60 meters wide by 400 meters length. The pavilion’s structure hung from a 3 dimensional structure above in order to not affect the platform level. At the street level, ticket booth, check-in counters and so forth are located. They are complimented by a first level underground open to the sunken garden that connects with a depressed highway and parking garages for vehicles and buses as well as to escalators to the existing station and the subway. On the first floor, hanging from the ceiling, are platforms of restaurants, commerce and waiting rooms constitute balconies of activity overlooking the city and the port and Mediterranean Sea. The inferior level at the railroad tracks and platforms is strictly used when the train arrives for minimal time for waiting and boarding.

The underground project presents open gardens and depressed passages with skylights. The distance between the 4 cubic pavilions is of 60 meters with landscaped passages of connection. At the street level, there are 2 gardens at both ends and connection to the existing Francia Station amplifies the usable urban landscaped space which borders the city and is able to house 4 narrow office buildings, forming a new facade that hides the rear area of the Station and building blocks.

This interesting project has not been developed due to the change of the itinerary of the high speed train that now penetrates through the center of Barcelona.