Trujillo bus station: an ode to concrete

In Extremadura, in southern Spain, the climate is so dry the vegetation is burnt, giving the horizon the grey colour of stone. Big animal-feed silos stand out in the landscape: cubic metres of concrete, tone-on-tone, the same colour extending as far as the eye can see.

Next to the silos ISMO Arquitectura built La Piedra, the nickname chosen for Trujillo bus station: a huge block of concrete rising out of the earth, a gigantic mass measuring more than 2500 square metres under which to find shelter.

Designed on two levels, one for buses and one for passengers, the concrete construction conveys an almost religious aura of power and austerity. At first sight it might look like a sanctuary, with the light penetrating the cracks in the concrete illuminating the interior. Floors, walls, ceilings: everything in the bus station is made of concrete, like a huge monolith guiding passengers on their way. Glass separates the spaces with the discretion of transparency, forming the spaces required to provide transport services and enclose the outdoor courtyards.

Design presupposes choices. In planning the development of the city , Isabel Amores and Modesto García of ISMO Arquitectura decided to pay homage to the land of Extremadura, its colours and shapes.

Francesco Cibati

Location: Caceres, Extremadura, Spain.
Year: 2013-2015
Project: ISMO Arquitectura - Isabel Amores and Modesto García
Surface area: 2643.82 sqm
Photos: Fernando Alda

ismo-arquitectura.es
www.fernandoalda.com

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