Barcelona’s importance as tourist destination has led to an increasing number of cruise ships arriving at the city, so the Port Authority decided to place some company terminals in Moll Adossat, the old container port.

In the Helix Terminal, the exterior spaces are organized in two clearly differentiated traffic areas: boarding zone on the north side and disembarkation on the south. The building’s location and accesses respond to this arrangement. With two heights and a rectangular floor plan of 130x65 meters, on the first floor the building has a 175 meter long terrace where the boarding walkways connecting with ships are installed, separated by 25 meters.

The public program is on the first floor, reached through a large lobby for check-in, waiting, and boarding. The main hall, with a central bay of 12x130 meters, is illuminated by means of skylights. The access and exit, as well as the baggage reclaim area, are at ground level. The finishes highlight the separation between levels: dark grooved precast concrete for the lower floor, and aluminum for the upper one. The edges of the building take the form of covered porches and terraces that shelter passengers.