BIG is designing the Hyperloop Certification Center (HCC) on an 800-acre site in West Virginia. The HCC is the next milestone to demonstrate the operation of the Hyperloop system as a commercial product. The project attempts to turn infrastructure into architecture by fundamentally tying the architecture of the HCC to the physical infrastructure of the transportation system.
The 800-acre HCC site will include a welcome center, a six-mile certification track, a pod final assembly facility, a product development test center, and a training center for operations, safety, and maintenance. In order to create a physical interface, the elevated vacuum tube wraps around itself and descends as a gentle ramp, ending in an airlock that allows for safe entry and exit for pods.
The main structural system for the building is shared with the vacuum tube. For greater lateral stability, the corners have been reinforced with a radius on top and bottom and frames with pill-shaped cutouts.
The pill-shaped loop of the tube forms the exterior facade of the facility and the support structure gets extended towards the interior as a sequence of concrete frames with filleted corners for lateral support. Roof, floors, and glass facades are infilled between the frames and form a simple warehouse-like structure that organizes the program as a continuous loop around a central courtyard.
The outdoor courtyard can be used for assembly and testing of pod components, large gatherings, and as a social space for the staff. It also provides visual connections between the different departments and references the courtyard of Virgin Hyperloop’s LA campus.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, HOK top BD+C's ranking of the 75 largest state/local government design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 State/Local Government Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
NAVFAC releases guidelines for sustainable reconstruction of Navy facilities
The guidelines provide specific guidance for installation commanders, assessment teams, estimators, programmers and building designers for identifying the sustainable opportunities, synergies, strategies, features and benefits for improving installations following a disaster instead of simply repairing or replacing them as they were prior to the disaster.
| Aug 11, 2010
City of Anaheim selects HOK Los Angeles and Parsons Brinckerhoff to design the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center
The Los Angeles office of HOK, a global architecture design firm, and Parsons Brinckerhoff, a global infrastructure strategic consulting, engineering and program/construction management organization, announced its combined team was selected by the Anaheim City Council and Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) to design phase one of the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Holder Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 50 largest industrial building contractors
A ranking of the Top 50 Industrial Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
AECOM, Arup, Gensler most active in commercial building design, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 100 Commercial Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
PCL Construction, HITT Contracting among nation's largest commercial building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Commercial Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Clark Group, Hensel Phelps among nation's largest federal government contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 40 Federal Government Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, HDR top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest institutional building design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 Institutional Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
GSA celebrates 60th anniversary
The U.S. General Services Administration today is commemorating its 60th anniversary as it engages in one of its its most challenging assignments ever—helping to achieve the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.