Morphosis Presents the Vialia Vigo Intermodal Station
Silvia Pujalte Toledo
24. July 2023
Photo © Roland Halbe, courtesy Morphosis
Thom Mayne's Los Angeles studio has completed a mixed-use complex that will foster connections outside and inside Vigo through high-speed trains, a shopping mall, and the city's largest public plaza.
In late June, Morphosis Architects announced the recent completion of the Vialia Vigo Intermodal Station. The North American firm has succeeded in transforming the city's train station into a cosmopolitan, multimodal transportation hub. The new complex houses a new high-speed train connecting Vigo with Madrid and the wider region, as well as including links to the bus station, parking for 1,549 spaces, and bicycle lanes.
The new Vialia Vigo station also aims to boost the city's economic growth with a new 30,000-m2 public square with skateparks and sports courts, and a shopping center with more than 125 stores and restaurants, cinemas, and supermarkets.
For the creation and development of the project, Morphosis worked in collaboration with BDU Arquitectura and L35, as well as with its clients: the public entity ADIF and the real estate operator NHood.
Photo © Roland Halbe, courtesy Morphosis
The project, located on a coastal but mountainous terrain, resolves a 17-meter difference in elevation between the neighborhood where it is located, on a hillside, and the center of the city of Vigo.
The six-story-high station and the shopping center make possible a public square on its roof overlooking the sea, where native plants have been introduced and different activity areas have been organized. Below the plaza, the shopping center is organized around a large atrium lit by skylights and a multi-story window framing the harbor.
The main entrances for the train station, bus station, and shopping center are located on the lower level, below an urban-scale canopy featuring the name of the station. The original station facade has been preserved, relocated next to the new entrance as a point of historical interest to welcome visitors to Vigo.
The full form of the station is revealed on its north elevation, where a sinuous structure of perforated steel panels creates a grand gesture along the main road leading to Vigo.
The project also foresees connections on the eastern edge of the square and a pedestrian bridge, now under construction, which will connect the lower areas of the city with the station.
Photo © Roland Halbe, courtesy Morphosis
“The development positions Vialia Vigo as the new metropolitan center of the city and links it to the broader region. As a primary destination point, the project expands the opportunities of the site’s cliff condition by building a connection between the bay and existing town; for example, the roof deck acts as an elevated piazza, providing views outward and space for commercial activity. The station redesigns the city by broadening the implications of architecture as urban connective tissue.”
Photo © Roland Halbe, courtesy Morphosis
“Vialia Vigo TGV Station demonstrates the firm’s continued interest in collaborating with cities to create projects and interventions that enhance urban connectivity while engaging with the day-to-day experience of its users. Not only does Vialia Vigo provide critical infrastructure to the region, but it creates a new gateway to the city that will catalyze social and commercial growth.”
