- Triple Recognition: The project has received awards from the Official School of Architects of Aragon (Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Aragón), the School of Architects and Technical Architects of Zaragoza (Colegio de Aparejadores y Arquitectos Técnicos de Zaragoza) and the British edition of National Geographic Traveller magazine.
The renovation of the emblematic Canfranc railway station (Huesca) and its transformation into a luxury hotel, carried out by ACCIONA and Avintia Construcción, has received three important awards in recent months.
The first was the Fernando García Mercadal Awards for Architecture, awarded by the Official School of Architects of Aragón). The project was awarded in the category of ‘Restoration and Intervention in Historical Heritage’, where the jury highlighted the rehabilitation works of the station and the exemplary intervention in the building, which made it possible to give a different use to this space, which is considered historic heritage, without losing its original essence.
ACCIONA worked in a very respectful way to restore this space, respecting the appearance of the past, paying homage to its historical legacy and creating a new station that, even with a different use, allows us to relive what happened years ago in the same place.
The García Mercadal award was given directly to the architectural firm INGENNUS and to the project’s developer, Suelo y Vivienda de Aragón, S.L.U.
In addition, during the Aragonese Building Gala (Gala Aragonesa de la Edificación), promoted and organized by the School of Architects and Technical Architects of Zaragoza, the jury awarded the project “Refurbishment of the Canfranc International Station building for hotel use” in the category of ‘Best Project Management’.
In addition to the above, these awards highlighted the great technical, architectural and social challenge of this project.
Finally, the British edition of National Geographic Traveller magazine recognised the Hotel Canfranc Estación as one of the best new hotels in the world for 2023.
Among the 14 existing categories, the five-star luxury hotel was awarded in the ‘Unique Space’ category, thanks to the uniqueness of this emblematic building, beating other hotels such as the Villa Palladio Jaipur in India or the Shiguchi Hokkaido in Japan.
The prestigious magazine has highlighted the extensive restoration work carried out and the modern design of the entire building, as well as its exterior, lighting and large scales. The hotel, inaugurated at the beginning of 2023, is located in Canfranc (Huesca) and has 104 rooms and suites, a heated swimming pool, fitness area and a library, among other services.
Of the 42 hotels from all over the world included in the list of winners and finalists, there are only two hotels located in Spain, including the Hotel Canfranc Estación.
ASSET OF CULTURAL INTEREST
The Canfranc International Station, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2002, is a symbol of the railway history of Spain and France, thanks to the international line that connected the two countries in the 20th century. It was inaugurated by Alfonso XIII in 1928 and remained in service until 1970.
The project, promoted by Suelo y Vivienda de Aragón, S.L.U., included the construction of a new passenger building with a surface area of more than 950 m2 and the creation of a new 1.6-km track bed, as well as the complete restoration of the old Canfranc station building, built in 1928, into a five-star luxury hotel, and the urban development of the area. The area for railway use has a total surface area of 63,850 m2 and represents the reopening of the railway line to international traffic.
This work is part of the Government of Aragon’s plan to reopen the railway line to international traffic and has been promoted by the Regional Ministry of Territorial Development, Mobility and Housing, through the public company Suelo y Vivienda de Aragón, S.L.U.