Valladolid Regeneration, Spain

485,000sqm mixed-use development around Valladolid’s main railway station, spurred by the Spanish national rail authority decisions to re-align high speed lines below ground to free land and overcome the blight and severance caused by the existing ground level tracks.
The infrastructure project includes the construction of a new underground rail and bus interchange with car parking. This is a strategy for the creation of vibrant and successful live, work and play environments for Valladolid and proposals include a unique environment using a densely planted forest for pleasure and shade.
Small footprint buildings will inhabit the forest, each having shops and entertainment facilities at their ground and lower levels.
Plots and building sites are determined by the geometries of existing roads and building blocks as well as new cross-paths, to create a flexible matrix of development.
Buildings are to be clustered at the convergences of roads and paths, are approximately 65% office, 20% residential and 15% retail, and are on average 17 storeys high. Using smaller floor plates will encourage natural ventilation and passive cooling measures.
The landscaped forest floor will be sculpted using the excavated material from the rail re-alignment.