Napoli Afragola Station

One of 13 new stations for Italy’s high-speed rail system, Napoli Afragola serves as a monumental 38,000m² gateway to the city.

Key information

Architect

Zaha Hadid Architects

Client

RFI S.P.A (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana)

Value

€66M

Year of Completion

2017

Sector

Services

Challenge

Located at this major intersection within southern Italy’s rail network, Napoli Afragola connects the 15 million residents of Campania, Puglia, Molise, Calabria and Sicily in southern Italy with the national rail network in the north and the rest of Europe. It also enables goods and passengers from Europe and northern Italy to access the southern ports of Gioia Tauro, Taranto, Bari, Brindisi, Palermo and Augusta.

Our design team, headed by Zaha Hadid Architects, won this international competition thanks in part to the integrated approach to energy and sustainability. We were responsible for this strategy, which focused on using the abundant natural resources of the region to keep energy use to a minimum. The project features inter-seasonal groundwater cooling and heating, solar hot water generation, rainwater recycling and north-light daylighting.

In the main arrival and departure concourse, the saw tooth glazed roof has vertical banners suspended below which provide glare and acoustic control for the space. The mixture of north light and controlled direct sunlight creates a vibrant and dynamic space with minimal solar gains or solar discomfort for the passengers. The platform canopies allow for future installation of some 400kW of photovoltaic arrays to produce enough energy to meet the station's entire operational electrical needs.