halo-shaped urban elevator offers panoramic vistas of vigo, spain

a soaring urban elevator for vigo, spain

Architecture firms NOARQ, AM2 Arquitectos, and engineering firm Arenas Y Asociados introduce Halo, a soaring urban elevator with a circular aerial passage in Vigo, Spain. Originally conceived for an international architecture competition, the project integrates with the VIGO VERTICAL urban regeneration plan, linking to the roof of the Vigo intermodal station across the Atlantic highway in the lower town area. Rising into the skyline, Halo offers sweeping panoramic vistas of the city, serving as a striking and distinctive landmark for the region.

Halo features a soaring urban elevator with a circular aerial passage | all images by Attilio Fiumarella

Enhancing Mobility and Connectivity

Completed by NOARQ (find more here) in collaboration with AM2 Arquitectos (find more here) and engineering firm Arenas Y Asociados (find more here), Halo facilitates mobility and connectivity in the city of Vigo. The structure links the roof of the intermodal station and the area below it through a suspended pedestrian walkway and two elevators. Serving as a focal point atop Serafin Avendaño street, the tower captures the attention of locals and visitors, particularly those using the Guixar railway station. The design features two footbridges at the tower’s peak, providing access to the intermodal station’s roof and complementing the station’s crystallized central atrium.

The tower is located at the top of the ramp on Serafin Avendaño street, marking the axis of the street, capturing the attention of the citizens of the seaport area of Vigo and in particular the users of the Vigo Urzaiz railway station within the VIALIA building. At the top of the tower, the architects divided the pedestrian access to the roof of the intermodal station into two curved footbridges that form a ring. These are supported on each side by the crystallized volume of the central panoramic atrium that emerges from the roof of the intermodal station.

designed by architecture firms NOARQ, AM2 Arquitectos, and engineering firm Arenas Y Asociados

Balancing Privacy and Panoramic Views

The pathway within the east footbridge is enclosed within its structure, prioritizing comfort for citizens in transit. Although less transparent and offering fewer panoramic views, this design choice aims to protect the privacy of residents in the residential towers along Calle García Barbón. Conversely, the route within the west footbridge is open-air, extending over its profile and projecting towards the ocean, enhancing its appeal to tourists.

Constructed with silkscreened glass, both the front face of the tower and the outer face of the circle exhibit a white appearance. At night, this design allows for the visibility of the metallic structure and the movement of the elevators from an external perspective. Meanwhile, during the day, the glass provides city views from within. Additionally, the slabs and wall profiles are clad in white solid surface krion, concealing the underlying steel and concrete structures.

the project offers sweeping panoramic vistas of the city

sited in Vigo, Spain

the structure serves as a striking and distinctive landmark for the region

slabs and wall profiles are clad in white solid surface krion

the open-air route of the Halo project

an underlying steel and concrete structure

the project integrates with the VIGO VERTICAL urban regeneration plan

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project info:

name: Halo

location: Vigo, Spain
architects: NOARQ, AM2 Arquitectos 
engineers: Arenas Y Asociados

contractor: UTE HALO VIGO Ferrovial – Oreco Balgon
owner: Concello de Vigo (municipality)

authors: Miguel Sacristán Montesinos (A&A), Alexandre Mouriño (AM2 Arquitectos), Jose Carlos Nunes de Oliveira (NOARQ)

construction managers: Alejandro Martin Velasco (Ferrovial) Diego Prado Dopeso (Oreco Balgón)

engineering team: Guillermo Capellán Miguel, Emilio Merino Rasillo, José Ramón González Calvo, Javier Fernandez Antón, Alejandro Godoy Ansótegui, Julio González Zalduondo, Carlos Alonso Velasco, Pablo Garrido de Marcos, Rafael Arroyo Velasco, Isabel Ortiz Escudero, Jesús Posadas Carmona, Fátima Castillo Piñuela, José G. García Martín, Sara Perez Vegar, Carmen Urdinguio Yruela

architecture team: Florencia Lucia Ruiz, Manuel Eduardo Lopez, Gonçalo José Almeida Ferreira, André Oliveira, Gaia Ferraris, Eduardo Kenji, Nuno Gonçalves, Daniela Amorim, Ana Nogueira, Manuel Eduardo Lopez, Trinidad López

infografías: Alessandro Ghidini, Javier Hinojosa, Javier Rey