Last December the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, José Luis Ábalos, opened an 8.1 kilometre stretch of Seville’s ring road, the SE-40, between the A-376 in Alcalá de Guadaíra and the A-4 in Dos Hermanas, which will be 77.6 kilometres long in total. Also in December, the El Torbiscal interchange (Utrera, Seville) became operational, at the crossroad of the N-4 road with the A-471, a point that produced congestion, especially in summer.

Ineco participated in both projects: for the SE-40 section, it supervised the construction projects; it carried out health and safety coordination and road safety audits and environmental monitoring, as it also did for the new El Torbiscal Interchange, for which it also drafted the project and provided support for mandatory purchases. Some of the more important environmental integration measures required in this project included the replacement of the Cañada Real de la Armada cattle route, the installation of acoustic screens and archaeological monitoring: two Roman necropolises with 63 burial sites were found.

We open this issue with the news of the contract awarded recently for the design of the new terminal at Schiphol Airport, a project that will make us a participant in the expansion of one of the most important airports in the world. This excellent news joins the announcements of the recent contracts to execute the master plan for the Dammam Airport and the expansion and rehabilitation of the Liberia airport. These international contracts reflect Ineco’s strength and competitiveness in the aeronautical sector, and are complemented by articles covering the projects and construction supervision in two airports in Cape Verde, and the feature article on the aeronautical safety studies.

In the railway sector, the cover story highlights another large project that has already been completed: the high-speed line that our experts have designed in Egypt to connect Cairo, Luxor and Hurghada. More than 1,000 kilometres in length, it is the longest section of high-speed track ever built by Ineco, only recently surpassed by the 1,500 kilometres of another similar project, the high- speed line between New Delhi and Kolkata.

The latest international contracts awarded to Ineco reflect our strength and competitiveness in the aeronautical sector

Projects such as the Indian project and this most recent project in Egypt, are enormous railway challenges that clearly demonstrate the capacity and expertise of the teams, made up of more than one hundred people who contributed to make them a reality. In total, the projects required two years of work which, in order to ensure the success of the study, involved various Egyptian public entities responsible for the implementation of the project, led by the Ministry of Transport and the National Railways of Egypt.

This study by Ineco, with the support of Adif and Renfe, exports the experience and know-how of Spanish engineering and industry in the design, construction and maintenance of high-speed lines. Experience that has pushed us to continue our participation in the development of high-performance networks, such as HS2 in the UK, in which Ineco has been awarded a new contract, projects for the installation of the ERTMS in Denmark, the railway integration works in the historic city of León, and the renovation of the San Bernardo station in Seville, all of which are described in this issue.

Lastly, we cap off this issue with a new section titled In Closing, in which our professionals tell us about the latest developments in their respective areas. In this case, we are starting with Rocío Viñas, our deputy director general of Cooperation and Innovation, who discusses the Spanish Hyperloop project. A closing that is aimed at sharing new developments in the sector with our readers.

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.

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.

Spain is the third most popular tourist destination in the world in terms of revenue and for another year it has beaten its own record by exceeding 68 million visitors in 2015, three million more than the previous year. According to all of the analyses carried out, a factor that has benefited the sector is the situation of political instability from 2011 in Mediterranean destinations such as Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. They all compete with Spain, which mainly receives European tourists: seven out of ten are British, French, German or Italian although, in relative terms, the increase in arrivals from the US and Asian countries is notable. According to Turespaña data, almost 80% of the total number came by air (half on a low-cost airline); a determining factor in this figure is that the Balearic and Canary Islands, for example, which are amongst the most touristic destinations in the world, are islands. As such, in 2015 all of the 46 airports in Spain registered more than 207 million passengers, 5.9% more than the previous year.

During 2015, eight out of ten visitors came to one of the 46 Spanish airports

Besides the two major Spanish airports, Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat, which between them accounted for 41.7% with 86.5 million, more than 101.7 million passengers –49.1% of the total– were counted in the 14 airports classified as “touristic”, coinciding with the most touristic destinations: the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca; the Valencian community, with Valencia and Alicante airports; Andalusia, with Málaga and Seville; the Canary Islands, with the airports of Gran Canaria, Tenerife South, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma; and Catalonia, with Girona and Reus airports.

They all underwent processes of improvement and enlargement in the 2000s in order to increase their capacity, closely linked to the growth in tourism, known as the Barajas Plan, Barcelona Plan, Levant Plan, Málaga Plan, Canary Islands Plan, etc. During this time, Ineco has provided its services to the Ministry of Development and Aena in the planning and execution of the activities. Since 2008 it has also been in charge of the Traffic Forecast Office, which plays a key role in airport planning. A few times a year, a team of engineers and technicians updates the forecasts, and this is carried out with a macroeconometric model called PISTA (Integrated Prognosis of Air Traffic Systems), also developed by Ineco, with a specific methodology based on the concept of a ‘network’ and independent models for the national and international segments, based on significant economic variables. Furthermore, in preparing the specific forecasts for each airport and for the short-medium-term, other factors are taken into account such as competition from other means of transport (mainly AVE), the existence of other airports in the area of influence, changes in offers from airlines (new destinations, greater frequency, new models of airplanes used, etc.), special events (sports competitions, summits, etc.) and others.

Since 2008, Ineco has also been in charge of the Traffic Forecast Office, which plays a key role in airport planning

Not only are volumes of passengers, operations and goods for each airport in the network forecast, but the design values (DHP, design hour passengers; and DHA, design hour aircraft) that are essential for adequate planning of the infrastructure are also considered, since they allow detection of the needs that airports will have and, furthermore, when it will be necessary to carry out the activities. The results of the traffic forecasts are used to prepare Aena’s business and investment plans, as well as to design commercial strategies in airports and, as such, they are very important.

Since last August, more than 20,000 residents of this new construction zone have been able to reach the centre of Madrid in 25 minutes thanks to the new halt, without having to go to the centre of Torrejón de Ardoz. Located in this Madrid municipality of 127,000 inhabitants in the north-east of Madrid, the new station belongs to the C7 commuter line and serves the districts of Soto del Henares, Mancha Amarilla and Zarzuela, a zone near the Hospital of Torrejón and the new Casablanca industrial estate. Ineco has carried out the architectural, structural and installation design, as well as construction management for Adif. It is a modular structure of porticos that eliminates the need for interior pillars (open plan) and can be easily adapted to any type of station. The main building, direction Alcalá de Henares, has a rectangular floor, a foyer with waiting areas, automatic ticket vending machines and six faregates, with the possibility of increasing this number to nine. It also has a space for offices, toilets and utility rooms.

Ineco has carried out the architectural, structural and installation design, as well as construction management for Adif

A modular and extendible design

The halt has two buildings, one for each direction. In the interior, all uses are distributed by independent building volumes (‘building within a building’). The station was designed with a capacity to receive 6,000 passengers a day, although the modular structure facilitates its future expansion.

Golden ratio

The geometry of the buildings is based on the golden ratio of a two-metre square, which forms rectangles of 2.8282 x 2m. When doubled they create a module of 5.6564 x 2m, and from the division of this module come all of the internal distances between porticos and different spaces are created.

A light box

The main building is laid out as a rectangular prism with two façades, which provides a maintenance area between them. While the “skin” tinges the interior-exterior light (‘light box’ effect), the outer layer generates permeability and allows the design to be changed.

Platforms

The platform edges are 1.75 metres from the track centres, with a width of 5 metres and a length of 210 metres, with 6 metre slopes at each end. Thanks to the 80 metres of canopy extending from the buildings, passengers are always sheltered when they access the platforms.

Other stations designed by Ineco

Ineco has extensive experience in drawing up architectural designs, as well as in construction management and technical assistance and the preparation of feasibility studies in different types of stations, both overground and underground.

• In Cercanías (commuter rail) we should highlight, amongst others, projects such as the Miribilla station in Bilbao, built at a depth of 50 metres; the two in the Málaga airport access and a few others in the Valencian town of Alboraya, all of which are also underground, or the modern Cercanías halt of the Manuel-Énova bypass of the high-speed line to Levante.
• With regard to modular stations, in 2009 it developed an innovation project taking a small halt in the north of Madrid, Las Zorreras, as a reference. A similar solution was also planned, the predecessor of that of Soto del Henares, for the Las Margaritas-Universidad station, in Getafe, in the southern zone of Madrid. Abroad, in 2011, eight modern modular stations were designed for the Bogotá Western Corridor in Colombia.
• With regard to the renovation of historical stations, we can highlight the design and construction management of the historic façade of Atocha (2012), that of the full renovation of Aranjuez station (2008) currently underway, or the modernisation works in around twenty Catalan stations (2009).
• As well as architecture projects, we can also highlight other services, such as technical assistance for the work of the new La Sagrera-Meridiana commuter station in Barcelona (2010) or the prior feasibility studies for the Belgrade light rail in Serbia, with 25 stations, 10 of them underground; or for the São Paulo commuter network in Brazil, which included the construction of nine stations and the renovation of 65 others.
• With regard to highspeed stations, Ineco has carried out around twenty projects, both in construction management and in drawing up architectural designs: this is the case for the stations of Puente Genil, Camp and Antequera-Santa Ana (2007), that of Vigo-Guixar or the projects in nine other stations of the Galician Atlantic corridor in 2010 (see article). Ineco has also worked in the construction management to adapt stations in the whole network for high speed: Santa Justa in Seville, Sants in Barcelona, Atocha in Madrid, Toledo, Zaragoza, A Coruña, Santiago and Ourense in Galicia, etc., as well as in that of enlargement of the Atocha railway complex and its new AVE terminal, begun in 2010.