Urban Surgery

URBAN

SURGERY Moving the railway tracks underground was a key step in regaining urban surface space, making it possible to develop the districts of Abandoibarra, Ametzola, and more recently, the Basurto district as far as Rekalde.

Additionally, urban development of the Avenida del Ferrocarril included Gordoniz Roundabout, and its fountain in the centre baptised La Luz del Viento (The Light of the Wind). This urban landmark connects the districts of Ensanche and Rekalde, and was planned in harmony with Ametzola train station.

The team at IMB Architects conceived the idea of an urban space with a distinctive personality where stone, steel, light and water come together in an integrated whole, creating both a technological and poetic image.

La Luz del Viento, a sloping surface with cascading water over slabs of grooved granite and 100 water sprinklers emitting a fine spray give the sensation of mist on rock.

The year 2004 saw the completion of the underground train station of San Mames and the extension of the tramway to Basurto. The San Mames intermodal station houses the RENFE (Spanish National Railway Network) and Metro stations, and aboveground, the tramway and Termibus coach station.

Additionally, that same year, the European Council of Urban Planners awarded the urban planning operation of Bilbao with a special mention for the project in Ametzola and the Southern Rail Bypass, selected from a total of 186 competing candidates from 12 European countries.

Next to San Mames is the district of Basurto where the track of FEVE, the Narrow Gauge Railways, is being relocated underground. On 13th September 2005, the Honourable Mayor IĂąaki AZKUNA, Mayor of Bilbao laid the first stone of this project, the most costly and, technically, the most complex ever to be undertaken by Bilbao RĂ­a 2000, the public company responsible for the urban regeneration of Bilbao.

This new area also includes a boulevard measuring 40 m. wide and 200 m. long, along with six metre wide pavements and a 3.5 m. wide road. The final result of all this effort will be a wonderfully spacious recreation area for residents of all walks and ages in the recovered space between Masustegi and Basurto.