RESTAURACION ESTACION INTERNACIONAL CANFRANC
SpainCompany Name: CARLOS MARTINEZ & ESCUELA SUPERIOR DE CONSERVACIÓN Y RESTAURACIÓN DE BIENES CULTURALES DE ARAGON
Project description
The Canfrac International Station is a railway station located in the Spanish municipality of Canfrac (Huesca). The international station of Canfranc was inaugurated in 1928 with an elongated floorplan, a bright and elegant interior, and a symmetrical structure. It has a functional distribution of the spaces from a covered central hall with a large dome. The project focused on the restoration of the vestibule, where the decoration of the interior plaster had practically disappeared in its entirety. This was the main difficulty in the work given that the missing models had to be modeled with the support of photographs. For its reconstruction, rigid molds were made and, using Iberyola stucco E / 35, replicas were made, taking advantage of the great fineness of the product that allows a high whiteness and perfection finish. The few original remains that have been preserved have been consolidated and reintegrated with Iberyola stucco and inert cargo.
Contractor
CARLOS MARTINEZ & ESCUELA SUPERIOR DE CONSERVACIÓN Y RESTAURACIÓN DE BIENES CULTURALES DE ARAGON
The School of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property of Aragon is an independent educational center of the Government of Aragon founded in 2001, which is responsible for training professionals to protect and restore cultural heritage. During the studies students and teachers carry out multiple work campaigns at historical sites to accumulate experience and make the leap to the working world. The intervention in the Canfranc Station is one of the best examples of this philosophy. Carlos Martinez is a family company created in 2008. It currently employs 3 people with a track record in the use of stucco and plasterboard solutions focused mainly on rehabilitation and restoration tasks. They carry out works of diverse nature, but this project emphasizes their renovation of the Olimpia Theater and in the Canfranc Station, both located in Huesca. They also work in emblematic buildings for individuals orders.
Key Achievements
- Research work collecting old images and discovering traditional techniques applied to plaster, reaching the original building of 1928.
- Multi-disciplinary team with teachers and enthusiasts students of the School together with the specialist installer Carlos Martínez.
- Support of the autonomous Government of Aragon through SVA and their architects
- Participate in the recovery of a historic monument financed by the Government (witnessing the history of Europe, the exodus of the exiles during the World War II such as hundreds of anonymous Jews who fled by train passing through Canfranc precisely to Lisbon to set sail towards America).
Key Challenges
The building is full of history from stories of spies and Nazis to the flight of Jews. For this reason the project demanded maximum quality and historical rigor to recover the lost identity. That is why the work of the School´s staffn, together with Carlos Martínez, and, of course, Placo materials, have been a guarantee of success. For the straight moldings and arches, it was necessary to create traditional tools such as “terrajas”. Some molds were made in situ, but those of the larger pieces were made at the School by the students during the course under the supervision of the teachers. To avoid historical confusion, every single piece obtained from the mold was stamped in a discreet place with the date of placement.