Castell de Cotxes is a new way of thinking about transportation infrastructure. Its 16 cylindrical charging towers can service over 200 electric vehicles per hour. Two elliptical towers emerge from the raised podium and descend into the centre of the complex. These spires move independently and change depending on the intensity of foot traffic, interacting with the flow of people. Peak traffic periods are made visibly different from slack ones.
The facility is more than the electrical equivalent of a gas station. The complex includes research laboratories, retail amenities, and a public sculpture garden.
The complex reconfigures traffic patterns at street level, reducing congestion and facilitating pedestrian circulation. The rooftop public space is connected to the larger city with footbridges. The Castell de Cotxes draws strongly on the tradition of Barcelona’s urban development, layering Cerda’s master plan with new technologies and sustainable solutions environmental research.