The project by TARTE Arkitektura and ELE Arkitektura consists of the installation of an elevator and an urban staircase to access the Altos Hornos de Bizkaia, overcoming the 25-meter difference in elevation between the neighborhood and the river bend. It is located on the northern esplanade, facing the blast furnace, with a layout that creates a vestibule in front of the monument.
The work, oriented north to south, rises perpendicular to the furnace and the Puente Colgante del Portugaleta, and features two large viewing platforms at the ends of the north and south cantilevers, offering views of the surrounding area and allowing one to observe oneself within this open and linear design. The staircase structure is composed of triangulated steel box girders and modular auxiliary elements, which facilitates prefabrication and shortens construction time. The elevator tower is a closed box structure formed by four girders supporting three cantilevers.
Access to the Altos Hornos de Bizkaia by TARTE and ELE. Photograph by Aitor Estévez.
Project description by TARTE Arkitektura and ELE Arkitektura
The project is part of the regeneration plan for the Txabarri neighborhood and the area surrounding the Bizkaia Blast Furnace in Sestao. This neighborhood houses the residential area that supported the entire industrial complex located on a bend in the Nervión River. The transformation of the productive fabric during the 20th century led to the demolition or abandonment of many of the industrial infrastructures that enjoyed their peak at the beginning of the last century. The area's regeneration plan includes the gradual rehabilitation or replacement of housing and the restoration and conversion of the Blast Furnace, the prime example of the area's industrial past and currently designated a Cultural Asset with the category of Monument, into a museum.
The competition called for the installation of an urban elevator and staircase to overcome the 25-meter difference in elevation between the Txabarri neighborhood and the bend where the Monument is located. The location proposed by the developer encompassed the northern esplanade in front of the Blast Furnace.
The urban strategy outlined in the competition proposal suggested a change in placement, moving the new structure away from the blast furnace and creating a new entrance area facing the Monument. Positioning the structure north-south, perpendicular to both the blast furnace and the Vizcaya Bridge (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), along with the creation of two large viewpoints at the ends of the north and south cantilevers, highlighted both structures and generated a virtual line of attraction connecting them through the new building.
The structure was designed not only to look at its surroundings but also to be observed. The open, linear design of the staircase allows it to be viewed from any angle, creating a safe route from a gender perspective.
The staircase's structure is built using prefabricated, triangulated steel box girders, facilitating assembly and shortening construction time. All auxiliary elements such as railings, steps, and enclosures have been modularized along with the structure to facilitate prefabrication and avoid on-site metalwork. The elevator tower, a closed box composed of four Vierendeel trusses, acts as the sole vertical support element, from which three cantilevers extend to the north (17 m), west (13 m), and south (3 m).
