Chamartín Railway Station - Madrid - Spain

Abstract

This group of constructions which constitutes the final phase in the Chamartín railway station, situated in the northern part of Madrid, consist of: — A 18,250 m² local train station which comprises halls, cafeterias, shops, luggage room, offices of Zone 1 of the Renfe and various other service installations. - A building for goods and sleeping carriages with storage department, customs, etc., and 7,025 m² of usable area. — A 71,380 m² long distance station with similar, although more ample services to those of the local train station; moreover, it is provided with a covered parking site and various complementary installation. — A 24,670 m² hotel with a capacity of 210 rooms, distributed over five storeys, to which 4 more storeys can be added, whereby the capacity would be increased to 378 rooms. — A thermic central of 5,810 m² contains all the installations required for this group of buildings. The complex is completed by service corridors for luggage and goods, parking places, connecting pedestrian crossing, and a complete road system with roads both at ground level as well as overhead and underground; a theatre and a big pedestrian square that forms the focus and connecting element between all the buildings. The design of the complex was determined according to the following factors: — Integration with the city: By means of the open arrangement of the various constructions towards the city and by the big pedestrian square that constitutes an efficient link with the adjoinining zones. — Connection with the city: Direct access to two main highways and several means of public transport, such as: underground station parallel to the platforms; bus lines with a stop at the entrance of the terminal; taxi station, etc. — Separation of the traffic within the complex from the city traffic: By means of traffic ways at different levels. — Maximum use of already constructed parts: By utilizing already finished works for the construction of the new ones, whereby considerable money and time were saved. — Adaptation to the topographical surrounding, taking advantage of the existing different ground levels, thus eliminating the risk of seismic movements. In general, a modulated reinforced concrete structure has been used, consisting of a series of longitudinal thick beams, reinforced concrete slab floorings and barrel vault ceilings with concrete arches. For the enclosure of the buildings continuous tile surfacing was used.