Amazon Estación de Autobuses by Fernando Andrade

Amazon Estación de Autobuses by Fernando Andrade is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award de Plata in Diseño de Arquitectura, Edificación y Estructuras Competition Category.

PlataArquitectura· 2025

Amazon Estación de Autobuses

by Fernando Andrade

Client: Integrated Inclusion and Rehabilitation Center

A' Design Award de Plata Winner in Arquitectura Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #170514

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The Design

About Amazon Estación de Autobuses

La instalación, diseñada más allá de su vocación como nodo urbano, actúa como un operador que reúne a las personas y las conecta; reduce el tiempo de movilidad, lo que aumenta la confiabilidad del sistema de transporte. Su módulo central iluminado naturalmente hace que el espacio sea más acogedor y facilita la toma de decisiones sobre las rutas. La fachada de vidrio refleja el entorno, creando una fusión dinámica de movimientos, formas y colores que enriquecen la experiencia interior. Como estrategia climática, se adoptó la ventilación cruzada en la cubierta, inspirada en la rica arquitectura amazónica.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Plata

Amazon Estación de Autobuses ha ganado el A' Design Award de Plata, un reconocimiento extraordinariamente prestigioso concedido a diseños de gama alta, magníficos e impresionantes. Los ganadores de Plata son obras tremendamente brillantes y sumamente creativas que ilustran la destacada experiencia, el talento y la agudeza de sus diseñadores. Se espera que Amazon Estación de Autobuses sea una obra maravillosa y emblemática, notablemente profesional y profundamente innovadora. Este diseño ganador del A' Design Award de Plata es una invención muy notable y admirada que beneficia y hace avanzar las fronteras del arte, la ciencia, el diseño y la tecnología. Amazon Estación de Autobuses es una creación enormemente envidiada que evoca deseos, aporta sentimientos positivos y despierta asombro y admiración.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The station, understood beyond an urban node, functions as an artifact that converges and connects people, reduces mobility time and removes physical barriers. A flexible facility was designed, with public bus and bicycle connections. Its central module, with natural lighting, humanizes the space: on a human scale, it allows decision-making on routes. The curved glass facade reflects the surrounding environment, creating a mix of movements, shapes and colors that enhance the interior experience.
Dimensions & Packaging: The station has dimensions of 16000 x 4000 mm, stabilized on the ground on 4 supports. Each structural triangle was made from a 75x3 mm quadrangular steel tube. The tubes are joined together using Mig welding and manually finished at the edges. The seals are made of glass skin, molded and cut using templates. The glass pieces were fixed with structural silicone on anodized aluminum panels. The glass is reflective laminated, 8 mm thick, with 99.8% performance against direct solar radiation.
Tags: bus station, transportation, parametric, sustainability, structure, architecture
Production Technology: The station is a structural fabric made up of 600 mm-sided triangles, which take on tensile and compressive functions, forming a rigid mesh. Recycled steel was chosen, reducing carbon emissions by 70%. The proposed roof aeration system is innovative and thermally conditions the environment, with low maintenance and implementation costs. The device does not require the use of electronic components. The device has laminated glass fins that allow wind and light to pass through, but block rain.
Design Challenge: The construction process took place in two distinct phases: construction in an industrial environment and assembly on site. The decision to produce the parts in a controlled industrial environment led to better results in terms of execution and quality control. We used the labor of local shipbuilders, engaging the local population. Given the complexity of the cutting and fitting of the parts, we decided to divide the structure into three large finished parts, finishing only the joints on site.
Research: The station's conception was born out of a public consultation, in which users defined 4 essential project premises as demands: Robustness of the equipment, low implementation and operating costs, environmental comfort and protection of users against bad weather. Given these basic concepts, we propose the use of materials with high resistance to bad weather, low maintenance costs, and the adoption of traditional elements of Amazonian architecture, such as ventilation fins on the roof.
Inspiration: The issue of sustainability is understood as a fundamental condition of this project. The primary design gesture is a direct influence from regional vernacular architecture: The glass fins that aerate the top of the structure, the generous roof as an element of protection against the weather and the cross ventilation inside the space provide environmental comfort and reference the rich heritage of Amazonian architecture.
Project Duration: The project began in may 2023 in Belém of Pará and was completed in february 2024.
Operation Flow: he idea of the station as an isolated point was discarded, and it was incorporated as an integral part of a multimodal mobility network within the city. This concept reduces travel times, operating costs and increases the reliability of the public transport system. Ramps and other accessibility devices were used, physical and visual barriers were removed, making boarding and disembarking accessible and fast. This has ensured that passengers of any mobility level can safely use a bus.
Patents: Fernando Andrade and Associates
Image Credits: Image 01: Walda Marques, Amazon Bus Station, 2024. Image 02: Walda Marques, Amazon Bus Station, 2024. Image 04: Walda Marques, Amazon Bus Station, 2024. Image 05: Walda Marques, Amazon Bus Station, 2024. Image 06: Walda Marques, Amazon Bus Station, 2024.