A proposal for a naturally lit underground station with through-running tracks has been selected for Valencia’s new central rail hub in Spain.
Adif Alta Velocidad’s evaluation committee chose the team led by Spanish engineering and technology group Sener, with British architecture practice RSHP and Valencia-based architecture studio ERRE.
The station will serve high-speed, commuter and metro passengers. It will accommodate conventional and standard-gauge trains, including local services and those using the Mediterranean Corridor.
Daylight to reach the underground platforms
Open areas between the concourses and railway levels will bring daylight down to the platforms, with views between the different parts of the station.
Natural ventilation is also proposed. RSHP said the design team’s ambition is to produce more energy than the building consumes, using passive measures to cut demand and active systems to harness energy.
The plans cover entrances, concourses, waiting areas, platforms and shops. Connections will be provided with the metro, tram, city buses and taxis, as well as pedestrian and cycle routes.
The team proposes a modular construction system using a high proportion of prefabricated components. Railway services are expected to remain operational throughout construction.
Through-running tracks to replace terminus operation
Trains currently terminate in central Valencia and must reverse before continuing. The new layout will allow them to travel directly through the city from north to south.
The station and its tracks will be placed underground from the end of the Access Channel, now being built on the southern approach to Valencia. The plans must also account for the proposed through-running tunnel and the development of Parque Central.
With most of the station below ground, the site above will accommodate a new Station Square. Pedestrian and cycle routes will run between the new hub, the historic Estació del Nord and Parque Central.
RSHP said the landscaping would contribute to an ecological corridor running south from the Jardín del Turia through Parque Central and beyond.
Historic Estació del Nord to be adapted
The commission includes the refurbishment and adaptation of Estació del Nord, which is protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest.
ERRE said the work would leave the historic station’s façades unaltered, preserving the building while adapting it for the wider railway project.
Sener and RSHP have each worked on earlier proposals for this part of Valencia. They competed on separate teams among the five finalists in the 2010 Parque Central design competition, which was won by a team led by landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson.
Design contract set at four years
The commission covers functional studies, preliminary work, basic design and construction documentation. It includes the station, tracks, passenger areas, shops, transport connections and an underground car park.
Adif estimated the procurement value at €30.27m ($34.7m) and set a 48-month contract term. No construction timetable has been announced yet.
Images: Courtesy of RSHP
