Palma Intermodal Station, Building, Las Palmas Development, Balearic Islands Architecture Images

Palma Intermodal Station in Mallorca

Contemporary Mediterranean Building Development in Mallorca, Spain – design by Joan Miquel Seguí

5 Aug 2019

Palma Intermodal Station Mallorca

Architect: Joan Miquel Seguí

Location: Plaça d’Espanya, Palma, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

The Palma Intermodal Station was built in 2007, being located at the Plaza de España, the same place where the railway station already existed. The main access to the Intermodal Station was by stairs that went down uncovered toward the center of the station, with the inconvenience of eventual flooding – due to its funnel condition to the underground infrastructure -, creating discomfort for passengers on sunny days or rain and the continuous repairs of the escalators to be suffering the inclemencies of time.

The intervention focuses on two aspects: covering the access to the Intermodal Bus and Rail Station of Palma de Mallorca by means of a flat roof and emphasizing the location of the entrance by means of the location of an information tower, since it is partially hidden between two existing buildings.

The proposal is based on a simple action by forming a volume composed of a ceramic latticework, which means a minimum transformation of the existing and traditional buildings around while emphasizing the entrance and simultaneously protecting the station’s entrance from water and requireing a minimum maintenance of the same as well, thanks to its simple entity.

The start of the latticework is aligned with the cornice of the existing buildings, which creates a formal dialogue that complements the chromatic and material relationship between the new ceramics and the old buildings.

The roof is surrounded by armored lattice that “hangs” from a flat roof supported by two gantries of three HEB-280 pillars each. These porticos consist of two UPN-400 parallel beams that hold a series of alveolar plates pierced by skylights, to allow natural lighting of the entrance space during the day. This duplication of the UPN allows the passage of installations -pluvial and electrical- through the HEB pillars. During the night the lattice acts in an opposite way and becomes an illuminating element, allowing the light to pass through the ceramics, thanks to a series of luminaries placed around the perimeter.

The borders of ceramic pieces rest on a metallic substructure, the anchoring system, that is formed by 100×40 tubes and modulated according to the joint of the ceramic pieces. The thickness of said tubes coincides with the thickness of the mortar joint plus the wall thickness of the ceramic piece, in such way that the existence of said substructure is not perceived.

The ceramic pieces have been designed and created just for this project, working closely together with the company “Ceramica a mano alzada” and the Ferres Ceramics factory. About 9.000 single pieces of 12 x 24 x 12 cm each are forming the cube-like roof, a rectangle with a diagonal, that allows to place in both directions, being able to create different and unique patterns, while preventing the placement of pigeons in its nucleus.

The new roof resolves the encounter with the existing pavement by incorporating a strip of composite panels, similar to the existing ones, which is topped with a glass railing, which recovers the vision of the gardens of the railway park, located just behind the entrance.

A square is created a couple of feet in front of the station, which is marked by the information tower and where it can be seen from anywhere in the Plaza de España. The tower is lined with composite, as is the existing entrance. In the strip that coincides with the latticework of the roof, ceramic pieces of the same characteristics are also placed.

Architects: Joan Miquel Seguí

Photography © Adrià Goula

Palma Intermodal Station in Mallorca images / information received 050819

Address: Plaça d’Espanya, s/n, 07004 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain

Opened: March 1, 2007