The Kaleidoscopic Station: Colorful High-Speed with Vanceva and Tvitec

Tvitec’s high-performance glass is one of the cornerstones of the radical urban transformation of the railway in León (Spain). A fantastic redevelopment project has been designed around its new High-Speed rail station alongside new underground platforms. Between the paving stones is a succession of bold, aesthetically pleasing skylights in colours as striking as they are whimsical arises. And Tvitec’s glazed and laminated solutions played a key role in bringing it to life.

Tvitec worked with more than 1,200 metres of laminated and tempered glass integrated with different Vanceva ranges. Eastman’s colour layers were placed between pieces with a thickness of between 6 and 8 millimetres, while a combination of different Vanceva ranges was chosen to create even more unique shades, following the guidelines of the installer, Sarriglass, and the general project construction manager, Copasa.

Tvitec laminated uniquely shaped pieces more than two metres high and 1.2 metres wide, converting the skylights into a form of lantern that shines down onto the ground and creates a kaleidoscopic environment inside, with an impressive effect on the train passengers. The laminates carry between one and four pvb of Vanceva, and in some cases are colourless. This ensures safety shielding in the event of an impact, together with the tempering of each part, and modulates the acoustics in a space where trains and citizens live side by side.

Tvitec’s coloured laminates also favour the diffusion of natural light and consequently the brightness of the underground platforms, which will be used by thousands of passengers every day. “All the pieces, which were finished in an industrial matte, were subjected to truly exhaustive quality controls in the factory,” said the company’s managers. Up to six different types of Vanceva layers were used to attain the desired aesthetic: Aquamarine, True Blue, Sahara Sun, Ruby Red, Tangerine and Deep Red.

While the use of the latest technology in the Tvitec factory in Cubillos was essential in the manufacturing process, the professionalism and experience of one of Tvitec’s Galician clients, with whom Tvitec has been working for many years on unique projects, was fundamental to the spectacular result of the whole. This company is façade specialist Sarriglass (Sarria, Lugo), which made the main structures, first with steel, and then with the aluminium carpentry in which the windows are inscribed.

“It was complex and difficult work due to the unique design of the project, and, in coordination with the construction company Copasa, Adif, Ineco, and the architect Fernando Liébana, I believe we found the solutions in quite a remarkable way,” explained Sarriglass General Manager, José Manuel Fernández, who also drew attention to the uniqueness of the colours and tones, all of them completely different for each of the eleven skylights of the set. The Tvitec project coordinator, Ramón Pardo, who is a great lover of all Galician things, especially its gastronomy, highlighted the synchronisation in the execution of all the orders and was proud of being part of such an emblematic project.

Sarriglass also took care of the double glazed, tempered and laminated curtain wall, also manufactured by Tvitec, which looks over an area of more than 800 metres in the new Adif station, just in front of the new passageway. The hiding of the railways has resulted in the construction of a pedestrian walkway from Avenida del Doctor Fleming to the High-Speed station, passing under the canopy of the historic León station building, where the skylights will provide natural light and facilitate ventilation and evacuation of fumes from the lower platform in case of fires.