MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER IN THE OLD BURGOS RAILWAY STATION AND NEW CULTURAL CENTER IN A FORMER SHED IN THE PARC CENTRAL AREA OF VALENCIA, SPAIN
Recovery of Former Railway Structures and Urban Regeneration in Spain
Contell-Martìnez Arquitectos
Two renovation projects completed in Burgos and Valencia by Contell-Martínez Arquitectos share the intent to reutilise former railway buildings and both make recourse to the insertion of a limited number of elements with a strategic role and pared down language. The project in Burgos involved the renovation of the historical early twentieth century Railway Station and its transformation into a multipurpose recreational centre. The renovation project recovered the original qualities of the station by eliminating a mezzanine added during the twentieth century. The same logic of optimising new insertions and the successful contrast between new elements and historical masonry was adopted in the transformation, at the Parc Central di Valencia, of Pavilion 3 of the former railway complex into a multipurpose space for exhibitions and performances. Both projects contribute to the recovery of abandoned buildings, within a broader urban regeneration program, collaborating in the transformation of parts of the city, while pursuing the objective of maintaining the memory of the places and the charm of the ancient railway structures.
