ZAL-Prat Station I Barcelona, Spain

The ZAL-Prat Station and the companion O&M building are located in an industrial area near the Port of Barcelona. To add balance to this industrial environment, the team used a classical approach, designing a close building with a clear entrance that is easily accessible to the public. 

Due to its proximity to the Port’s logistical area, the buildings were also conceived as safe refuge in case of a chemical emergency. The facades feature industrialized materials, applied in a way that integrate the buildings with the adjacent line viaduct, which is built with a mixed steel-concrete upper edge structure.

The O&M facility is an industrial building that evokes the heritage of Catalan industrial modernism. The facade is composed of brick panels and adapts to the curved alignment of the tracks. Inside the building, the panels create areas of shade and light to mimic an industrial atmosphere. The maintenance facility can accommodate 12 trains. Guillermo Aguilar, AIA worked as planning and design consultant to Barcelona’s GPO Ingenieria, Inc. and was a Principal of the GPO/Transitworks design team.