The modernisation work on the San Bernardo Cercanías station in Seville was carried out while maintaining the services of the station, which has a high degree of intermodality with other public transport in the city, such as Line 1 of the Metro, Line T1 of the tram system and various bus routes. The main objective of the project was to bring the passenger building in line with accessibility, fire safety and energy efficiency regulations, while seeking proper and feasible execution in terms of cost and completion of the works. The refurbishment also included a more rational arrangement of spaces –taking advantage of natural light– and improved transit and layout of the main hall. The exterior was also given new look that was in line with the interior modifications.

With a total of 4,710 m² of floorspace (1,100 m² in the main hall plus 3,600 m² for platforms), the station used to have two entrances at either end of the main façade, leaving a space in between occupied by the cafeteria, which had direct access from outside and inside, and two mezzanine storage areas connected by a walkway. The main hall originally had a ticket office and small commercial area at the centre, which split the natural flow of passengers by breaking the row of turnstiles and dividing it in two. The interior was illuminated by a large window in the façade –a key feature of the station– and the exposed, sloped roof enhanced and directed the entry of light. After passing through the turnstiles, passengers
descended to the platforms via two large lateral access spaces using escalators. The platforms, which also provided access the Seville Metro, were showing their age in terms of the finish and lack of lighting, making them gloomy and unwelcoming places.

After studying all of the possibilities, the decision was made to create a single entrance and direct the flow of passengers to a single row of turnstiles; move the commercial area, cafeteria and ticket office to the sides of the main hall; and expand and refurbish the mezzanine storage areas and turn them into offices for Renfe. This large space was enhanced with an expansive curved ceiling that levitates over it and serves as the main channel for light entering through the large window in the façade and also reduces noise inside by absorbing sound.

Accessible platforms and new facilities

In terms of the platforms, the use of new materials for the modernisation and refurbishment of the entire space was maximised. The suspended ceilings, light fixtures and sidewalls were removed and replaced with a sloped suspended ceiling that collects water from the tunnel slab and channels it to the side. This was reclad with cladding with substructure fixed to the existing cavity wall, creating a new chamber for water collection. The flooring (slip-resistance 3) on the platforms and platform edges was removed and replaced. The lighting was replaced by a continuous linear LED lighting system on the edge of platform.

Fire doors, two new lifts for the platforms and new emergency exit doors were installed, and the electrical system, communications room and electrical panels were renovated.

Surveying with a 3D laser scanner

New design technologies were used to create a functional concept that prioritizes accessibility and order in the flow of passengers. From the beginning of the Ineco project, BIM (Building Information Modelling), software from Revit was used, and it proved to be a highly useful tool in terms of improving coordination with structures and facilities, and generating a model that would also facilitate rapid understanding by all participants in order to streamline resolution of design details and issues. As a starting point for modelling the initial state of the station, a 3D laser scanner was used to survey the entire exterior and interior of the building, including the main hall, technical rooms and platforms. The three-dimensional laser scanner automatically measures a large number of points on the surface of an object in order to generate a data file. The points measured by the device are compiled into a point cloud georeferenced to the UTM coordinates. In this case, the laser also took georeferenced photos with a built-in camera and a specific program then allowed the integrated display of the point cloud and images in order to identify and locate elements, and obtain length and area measurements, among many other functions. The cloud provided a virtual replica of the station in the project’s computers that could be used as a tool for navigation and continuous consultation throughout the project, and to serve as a basis for the station’s parametric modelling in a program that supports BIM workflow.

Detailed planning made it possible to maintain all train services during the execution of the works

New lighting and electrical system

Information from the 3D laser scanner was used to improve data collection at the site. The generated files were used to obtain data on elevated elements, such as the diameter of main hall ducts, the size of platform grilles and the position of safety and passenger information elements. The work also included the installation of new systems for the renovation of the main hall and platforms. Any that were in good condition were kept and ventilation outlet and intake elements were adapted to the new suspended ceilings. Although the platform evacuation, use and occupation conditions were not modified, the capacity and condition of the emergency exits were analysed during the project stage.

The electrical system was completely overhauled, from the station’s transformer unit, and including new distribution boards and halogen-free wiring to bring the installation in line with the 2002 Low Voltage Regulations. New lighting was also proposed to adapt the system to the new distribution and the minimum requirements set out in the Building Regulations (CTE DB SUA) and Royal Decree 1544/2007 of 23 November concerning accessibility. This equipment was designed with a system to regulate and control each area, including a system to take advantage of natural light in the main hall. All of the proposed work was aimed at improving energy efficiency in the station; for example, the planned loads in the main hall are lower than the existing loads due to the reduction of usable area in the main hall and primarily the improvement of insulation of the roof, with the installation of a suspended ceiling with integrated insulation, and cladding of part of the exterior façade with an external thermal insulation composite system.

Another improvement in energy consumption was the installation of ventilation programmers on the platforms connected to a detection and control centre, CO detection elements, opacimeters and thermostats in order to reduce fan operating times. Finally, in the project stage, the energy certification of the building was simulated for reference using the CE3X v1.3 program, which is recognised by the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Public Works. This study confirmed the improvements and the existing building’s classification was upgraded.

MAIN HALL

Turnstiles in a single row.

The primary aim was to completely rearrange the main hall, including a new passenger service area, creating a single open space to facilitate the movement of users and passengers. To do this, a suspended ceiling was created to cover the entire main hall with insulation and integrated LED lighting, and turnstiles were expanded and relocated in a single line to facilitate routing. In addition, sidewall and flooring finishes were renovated to improve distribution and organization of the movement of passengers to both platforms.

Vigo-Peinador airport has undergone a number of works in recent years, for example the construction of a new public car park with over 2,500 spaces and the enlargement of the southern terminal building. The Instituto Feiral de Vigo (IFEVI), which is very near to the airport, hosts more than half the international events held in Galicia. A large proportion of attendees arrive by air. The large capacity of the new terminal car park also makes it possible to expand the parking offered by the exhibition centre itself. Given the short distance separating the airport and the exhibition centre, visitors used to travel between the two across the roundabout by which both places are accessed by road. The considerable traffic, the dimensions of the roundabout and the high number of roads connected to it made the walk a long, tortuous journey, where road crossings were challenging and pedestrians were not protected from poor weather conditions.

The pedestrian walkway connecting Vigo-Peinador airport with the Instituto Feiral de Vigo has two purposes. Firstly, there is the intention of exploiting the airport terminal car park to serve the exhibition centre. Secondly, the walkway facilitates the connection between the terminal and the exhibition centre for visitors arriving by air. It establishes a path that connects both places, and on another level avoids the different roads between the terminal car park and the IFEVI centre.

The walkway begins at car park P-1 and ends beside the heavy vehicle parking basins at the exhibition centre. The walkway has a total length of 281 m, with 10 spans of a maximum length of 40 m.

The walkway’s roof is designed with geometrical surfaces whose orientation follows a logical sequence spanning the length of the walkway. The play between different dimensions, densities and angles of the different segments brings the ensemble a dynamic, three-dimensional character.

The train halt owes its name to the new Los Jardines de Hércules development, a collection of 2,000 dwellings recently built 9 kilometres to the south of Seville. With the entry into service of this station of line C1, located on the Seville-Cádiz railway line, users can now reach the centre of Seville in just 10 minutes.

The new facilities are located to the north of the former La Salud station, and 120 commuter trains of C1 and C5 lines serve it every day, favouring fluid and rapid communication with Seville centre, from whose station –Sevilla-Santa Justa– travellers can link up with the rest of Renfe services (commuter railway lines, medium-distance trains and AVE).

Ineco carried out the drafting of the building project and all of the works inherent in the management of the works and coordination of health and safety, which include the elements of the raised station and its access, the zone of shelters and platforms and the technical services building. Its peculiar design, which places the accesses and the hall of the station on a walkway in the shape of an irregular spatial tube, has required complex execution and management work. Thanks to its such unique geometry we were able to not modify the course of the railway line or its basic infrastructure, which allowed us to maintain the continual service of passengers and freight throughout the whole execution of the train halt.

Access to the hall is gained through automatic doors with a remote control mechanism and it is fitted with air conditioning. The hall contains self-service ticket machines, access control turning machines of a special width and the furniture and signage. The starting state for its design involves very limiting environmental conditions in relation to an already pre-determined structure, shape, dimensions and opacities. From this regular structure, the “game” of dislocating its structural joints begins, both vertically and horizontally, until a balance of the whole is achieved, resulting in an irregular structural frame, faceted in triangles.

Ineco has carried out the drafting of the building project and the works inherent in the management of the works and coordination of health and safety and management

This peculiar geometry of the walkway is developed along a transverse axis on the train tracks. The space has a closed and covered area –where the hall is located– and another open and covered zone, that leads to the access disembarkation area and the connection with the two platforms. As such, it has an uneven geometric shape, wider in the zone of the hall. The walkway is supported vertically on the masts of the lifts and on the intermediate pillars. These masts are also the horizontal supports of the structure for the loads of wind and earthquakes.

The work flow was carried out using a BIM model that, initially, served as a design tool with great speed in the execution of different design alternatives, subsequently to help external consultants in the calculation and dimensioning of the structure and, lastly, for the building development and its documentation. This BIM model was carried out with the Revit programme, taking advantage of the experience of the company in BIM until that date (new Odessa international airport, Elche station, etc.), which facilitated the idea of the design and its development in a very short space of time, just two months. The design and definition of such a complex volume in such a short space of time was possible thanks to the use of a BIM tool.

The design and definition of such a complex volume in such a short space of time was possible thanks to the use of a BIM tool

The lateral sides and roof of the walkway have diagonals and, as such, they function like lattices with elements working mainly through traction-compression. The lower side, having had to resolve both the structure of the floor and the overall bending behaviour, was resolved with parallel elements together, quasi perpendicular to the lower cords, forming an irregular Vierendeel beam. The structure of the slabs of the walkway floor was developed with a concrete slab on a corrugated sheet, which functions as lost formwork. The structure of the masts of the lifts consists of a spatial lattice formed by tubular elements of square section. It resists the loads of the lift itself, as well as those that the walkway transmits.

In accesses, walkways and disembarkation areas, mobility-accessible solutions have been installed in their finishes with the inclusion of tactile routing in accordance with the legislation in force and technical specifications of Renfe.

EXPERIENCE IN BIM

By Cristina Palmero, architect and BIM coordinator

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Ineco has worked for years on developing projects in the BIM (Building Information Modelling) environment, from the carrying out of simple works such as for this station, designed with the Revit tool, to large and complex projects and airport building works, line, rail and building projects. Amongst its many advantages, the work with BIM tools allows, in each project, the total integration of the architecture, the structure and the facilities; it also offers different alternatives of materials, designs and finishes, calculation of its costs, simulations of its construction to be carried out including security and health, and to opt for the best technical and aesthetic solution in a very quick period of time and in a collaborative environment. From the start of the project to the execution of works and its subsequent maintenance, the access of all professionals involved in the latest version and its history facilitates the coordination of disciplines, conflict solution and its proper budgetary management.

DESIGNED WITH REVIT.
The volumetric and structural irregularity of the walkway, as well as its various alternatives, were studied thanks to its modelling in Revit, which, in turn, allowed us to react very quickly in the event of changes and unforeseen events in the project.