Canfranc International Rail Station

Antonio & Teo Ross

Entered into the 2025 Design Awards

Antonio writes:

"The Canfranc International Rail Station is located at the border with France, up high in the mountains. It had become a derelict area until recently and we were commissioned to refurbish and restore the whole huge area (and another team to restore the Station itself, converting it into a five star hotel).

So we designed the new public space, its landscaping and all its infrastructures (sewage, runoff management, water supply, power, telecommunications, pedestrian walkway over the river, street lighting, greenery, parks, etc). We even designed the benches and the lamposts and many urban furniture (that we also produced in our workshop). For the benches and other items we used real rails taken from the site (more than 100 years old), and other railway elements.

We decided to donate a sundial to the Municipality as a homage to the two Civil Engineers that a hundred years ago designed the public spaces and the station and rest of the buildings.

So we took some rails, a railway switch and some more material and created a standard sundial, that you can see on the pictures. The names of the two engineers are engraved on the sides of the sundial's table. They belonged to the elite corps of engineers of Spain ("Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos").

It was inaugurated in 2022."