flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

HRT Transit Center: The Ambience of a Park in an Efficient Bus Terminal

Sponsored Content Transit Facilities

HRT Transit Center: The Ambience of a Park in an Efficient Bus Terminal

Whether building architecture or catching a bus, everyone’s happy when things run right on schedule.


By ALPOLIC | June 13, 2016

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) Norfolk Transit Center, Norfolk, Virginia. ALPOLIC®/PE in SMX Silver Metallic Finish. Photographed by Chris Cunningham Photography.

When three concepts were presented for a new bus terminal and transfer station to serve the Downtown Norfolk area of Coastal Virginia, Michael Schnekser fully expected the public to support the most conservative option.

Schnekser, a principal at Tymoff+Moss Architects, was part of the team presenting the options. He was astounded at the support for an unfamiliar but exciting new approach to designing a transportation hub. “As an architect, particularly in Norfolk,” Schnekser says, “it really reinvigorated me. If you know the region, we’re still trying to free ourselves from the shackles of Jefferson. If it doesn’t have brick and a pitched roof and a white column outside, then it’s not any good. It’s a very conservative region.”

By the end of the public process, Schnekser recalls, “We had 98 percent approval. To have the public respond that way was unbelievable. It was really rewarding.” Probably the reason for the public’s enthusiastic support is that the design makes sense on so many levels.

A Park-Like Setting with a Functional Design

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) serves Norfolk and several other cities in the surrounding region. The new bus terminal and transfer station was built by the city of Norfolk and is leased to HRT. It replaces a transit hub that Schnekser describes as “literally a three acre circle of asphalt, next to a big road” – not a pleasant place to wait for your next bus, let alone just hang out and enjoy the surroundings.

The new terminal, by contrast, is designed to provide the comfort and interest of an urban park. “Boy, that would be really nice to get out of the bus on a hot day,” Schnekser explains, “and instead of being surrounded by acres of blacktop to have the shade of a tree, a bird up above some bushes over there, and a bench to sit and eat my sandwich or read my book while waiting for my next bus.”

Architecture by the Numbers

Kori Nichols is a project engineer at Roof Services Corporation, the firm that fabricated and installed the ALPOLIC® materials used to create the canopy as well as the customer service desk. She recalls the canopy as being an extremely complex project.

“There were, I think, 1,010 panels,” Nichols explained. She went on to describe how she and her assistant carefully numbered each panel according to its location. “With over a thousand panels it could have been easy to skip a number. It took us two or three weeks just to double and triple-check ourselves. You’d think it’s an easy thing, but it’s not.”

A Perfect Fit – How Easy Is That?

“Working with ALPOLIC® Materials is easy”, Nichols adds. “They’re a very good company. They’re actually in our backyard... if they’ve got that material on the floor we can go pick it up within 24 hours.” 


Whether building architecture or catching a bus, everyone’s happy when things run right on schedule. See more photos of the HRT Transit Center and other projects.

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) Norfolk Transit Center, Norfolk, Virginia. ALPOLIC®/PE in SMX Silver Metallic Finish. Photographed by Chris Cunningham Photography.

Related Stories

Transit Facilities | Mar 25, 2015

Kengo Kuma selected to design new Paris Metro station

The new station will serve as a hub to connect Paris' northern suburbs with the core.

Transit Facilities | Mar 4, 2015

5+design looks to mountains for Chinese transport hub design

The complex, Diamond Hill, will feature sloping rooflines and a mountain-like silhouette inspired by traditional Chinese landscape paintings.

Sponsored | | Mar 3, 2015

New York’s Fulton Center relies on TGP for light-flooded, underground transit hub

Fire-rated curtain wall systems filled this subterranean hub with natural light.

Transit Facilities | Feb 12, 2015

Gensler proposes network of cycle highways in London’s unused underground

Unused tube lines would host pedestrian paths, cycle routes, cultural spaces, and retail outlets.

Airports | Feb 6, 2015

Zaha Hadid-designed terminal in Beijing will be world’s largest

The terminal will accommodate 45 million passengers per year, and will be a hub for both air and rail travel.

Transit Facilities | Feb 4, 2015

London mayor approves plan for a bicycle highway

The plan will guarantee bike riders a designated stretch of street to ride from east to west through the city.

| Jan 17, 2015

When is a train station not a train station? When it’s a performance venue

You can catch a train at Minneapolis’s new Target Field Station. You can also share in an experience. That’s what ‘Open Transit’ is all about.

| Jan 2, 2015

Construction put in place enjoyed healthy gains in 2014

Construction consultant FMI foresees—with some caveats—continuing growth in the office, lodging, and manufacturing sectors. But funding uncertainties raise red flags in education and healthcare.

BIM and Information Technology | Dec 28, 2014

The Big Data revolution: How data-driven design is transforming project planning

There are literally hundreds of applications for deep analytics in planning and design projects, not to mention the many benefits for construction teams, building owners, and facility managers. We profile some early successful applications.  

| Dec 28, 2014

AIA course: Enhancing interior comfort while improving overall building efficacy

Providing more comfortable conditions to building occupants has become a top priority in today’s interior designs. This course is worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Adaptive Reuse

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, centerpiece of innovation hub, opens

The recently opened Michigan Central Station in Detroit is the centerpiece of a 30-acre technology and cultural hub that will include development of urban transportation solutions. The six-year adaptive reuse project of the 640,000 sf historic station, created by the same architect as New York’s Grand Central Station, is the latest sign of a reinvigorating Detroit.



Transit Facilities

Top 25 Transit Facility Construction Firms for 2023

The Walsh Group, Clark Group, Hensel Phelps, Skanska USA, and Hill International top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest transit facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes construction revenue for work related to bus terminals, rail terminals, and transit stations.


Transit Facilities

Top 40 Transit Facility Engineering Firms for 2023

AECOM, Jacobs, EXP, WSP, and Arup head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest transit facility engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes design revenue for work related to bus terminals, rail terminals, and transit stations.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021