San Agustín de Guadalix Service station
Location: Near Madrid, Spain
Architect: Moneo Brock Studio
Completed: 2008

Photo: Ake Lindman/Moneo Brock Studio

With its three, gull-wing-shaped canopies, this filling station and service station cuts an impressive figure on a busy stretch of motorway 30 km outside Madrid. According to designers Moneo Brock Studio, it is inspired by service stations designed and built during in the golden age of motoring, between the 1940s and 1950s. During this time, say the designers, 'the design of service stations exuded optimism and modernity; the structures employed cantilevers and projections that gave a sense of magic to the spaces below'.

Photo: Ake Lindman/Moneo Brock Studio

They continue: 'Perhaps the difference between these service stations and ours is that this one has a more playful character, thanks to the curved shape of the canopies. It is not only a shelter: it is fluid movement, clearly looking to the natural landscape of rolling hills in the distance.'

Photo: Ake Lindman/Moneo Brock Studio

The brief called for a structure that would act as signage, alerting motorists that they were approaching facilities where they could stop to refuel and get refreshments.

Photo: Ake Lindman/Moneo Brock Studio

Say the architects: 'While attending to this we also strived to create an architecture that is responsive and respectful of its surroundings. The canopies are seen from afar like birds or clouds on the horizon, hovering between the sky and the land.'