Architecture studios RSHP and ERRE have unveiled their plans for Valencia Central Station in Spain, which will incorporate public green spaces and sweeping roof canopies.
Designed by RSHP and ERRE with engineering firm Sener, the station will become the city's key rail hub, with connections to the existing North Station.
It will incorporate high-speed, commuter and metro services below ground, freeing up space at ground level for a linear public park the team described as a "green axis".
"By taking the tracks underground, we have the opportunity to reverse that condition and give the space back to people, creating new areas for walking, cycling, greenery and public life," ERRE told Dezeen.
"Burying the tracks that enter the city will be transformational for Valencia, allowing the city to reconnect," added RSHP director Simon Smithson.
Renders reveal Valencia Central Station as a wall-less structure sheltered by a series of sweeping roof canopies, reminiscent of the historic North Station.
Utilising a frame that filters light and air into the platforms below, RSHP and ERRE said the design aims to make the building "feel like it isn't underground".
Above ground, a public square will connect the station to the existing North Station, which is also set to be refurbished as part of the development.
"For us, one of the most important gestures is simply to give it space," ERRE project architects explained.
"By opening up its facades and creating a new public square between the two stations, the historic building can breathe again and recover its full presence within the city," they added.
"We focused on opening the station box as much as possible to provide daylight, natural ventilation and views out of the deepest platforms," RSHP associate director Ainhoa Abreu Diaz said.
According to Diaz, a modular construction system will be utilised to speed up the station's construction process, though the completion date is yet to be disclosed.
"As with so many of our projects, for Valencia we propose a lightweight modular canopy and highly systemised station," she said.
"This will speed construction, minimise impact on neighbours, reduce construction waste, support principles of circular economy and allow us to target significant whole life carbon reductions."
Other stations recently featured on Dezeen include a metro station in São Paulo updated by local studio Nitsche Arquitetos and the Old Oak Common station in London by WilkinsonEyre, which is under construction as part of the HS2.
The renders are courtesy of RSHP.