Metro :: Construction work and architecture :: Architecture and furnishings
 
 

 

From the beginning of the project special attention was paid to the design and architecture of the stations. Not only aesthetic considerations but also aspects such as functionality and the convenience and well-being of passengers were taken into account.

 

Sir Norman Foster and his team were commissioned to design and plan the underground stations on the network, and they set out to produce an appealing blend of architecture and engineering.

In 1988 they won the Brunel Award for Railway Architecture for their projects for the Metro as a whole and for Sarriko station in particular.

Three aspects are clearly discernable in Foster's work:

 Originality
 Maximising attractiveness using materials with moderation.
 Blending architecture and engineering.


The Metro Bilbao project entailed specific challenges:

 The stations had to be located as near the surface as possible, so that access from the street to the platforms would be easy and direct.
 They had to be spacious.
 High visibility had to be ensured.
 Natural light needed to be allowed in.


The architecture of the Metro stations is the result of three concepts:

 Simplicity
 Functionality
 Aesthetics


Based on these concepts, the basic lines of Foster's design for the stations are as follows:

The interior:

Station caverns are large spaces with a cross-section of 160m., in which track bays, platforms and mezzanines are located
 

The access areas:

The mezzanines are the main concourses linked to all facilities and services, where ticket dispensers and offices are also located. Stations offer an extraordinary feeling of spaciousness so that passengers do not feel trapped and all services are close at hand.

 

The exterior:

The main features of the Metro's street architecture are its steel and glass canopies.

One of the main achievements of the architecture of Metro Bilbao is that it forms a single architectural whole. This is clear in its achievement of the following three objectives::

 High aesthetic standard of facilities.
 Maximum comfort for passengers.
 Fitting simply and non-aggressively into the city's architecture.

Furnishings :

In November, 2000, the manufacturer of the Metro benches (Akaba, based in Irún), won the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology's National Industrial Design Award.