32|REPORTAJE Within the program of redefining its brand, Cepsa commissioned in late 2013 Saffron Brand Consultants, an exercise in strategy, design and brand experience and redesign of its petrol stations. For this purpose the concept creator Saffron, has led a prestigious professional team: Tangerine has redefined the experience of refueling. Malka + Portús Architects have fully realized the architectural design of the new station and Rafael Gallego from Aureolighting has designed the lighting. The design of the new petrol station, point mark connection with society, has been raised in order to communicate the following objectives: Improve customer service experience, reduce the cost of maintenance using the latest technology and create strong visual impact, representing Cepsa in a vanguard, technological, ecological and very significantly manner. An ETFE canopy: thinness and artificial light saving In order to transmit the value of the company through the architecture of the new station, the choice of materials and shapes became essential, as well as the core idea of creating a light, nearly invisible structure that would come alive at night, and use it to signal the station’s presence. The use of a new material, like ETFE on the canopy over the forecourt helped to convey the idea of lightness, and also helped to accomplish one of the main objectives of the canopy, that is to allow the passage of natural light through. This allowed minimizing the use of artificial lighting during the day. A significant reduction in energy consumption, given that sunlight is spread over more than 10 hours a day in Spain during half of the year, not being necessary to use artificial light until 22:00 in the summer. ETFE permitted a very light steel structure with a profile of 40 cm instead of 100 cm standard canopies, turning the marquee in a line in the landscape. The rounded corners on the canopy directly concern to the design language used in the logo and brand signage, while lending a technological aspect and greater lightness to the structure. Finally, the Y shape columns give allow to support the entire canopy elegantly, maintaining the same engineering design language used on the marquee. Energy consumption and reduced maintenance Efficiency and sustainability have been very present in the lighting design values: all luminaries used are LEDs: very low consumption and maintenance, high visual effect, full integration into the metal structure...) The lighting has been regarded as one of the canopy main components, which illuminate itself at night with the corporate red, creates a strong visual impact of the station on the environment. Lines of white LEDs integrated in the structure, provide functional lighting to the entire area that is complemented by a sub-canopies with integrated lighting, located over the pumps islands. These provide better illumination level required in the area, creating a more localized experience for the customer and reducing energy consumption to no light flooding the space. Furthermore it identifies by sensors when there are not customers, to reduce the luminous flux. C-store building becomes itself a new beacon that signals the presence of the station by its red polycarbonate skin, shining bright both day and night. ■