Last week, the Board of Directors of VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, Texas, officially approved plans previously presented by the architecture design team from EE&K a Perkins Eastman company to construct Phase 2 of the Westside Multimodal Transit Center. This construction award comes mere weeks before the groundbreaking, which is scheduled for July.
The new 90,000-sf development will principally service San Antonio’s growing network of city bus and VIA PRIMO bus rapid transit service, including real-time arrival updates, as well as become an iconic public plaza for the city. The design team is led by Principal Stan Eckstut FAIA and Associate Principal Jonathan Cohn AIA, LEED AP.
The public plaza, comprising a full city block, will be encircled by a varied metal and glass Grand Canopy, approximately 50% of which is covered by a photovoltaic panel array that will generate a large portion of the electricity required to light the facility. The plaza’s expansive interior will feature a significant stand of cedar elm trees, while a permeable ground surface and underground detention systems will control stormwater runoff.
The EE&K a Perkins Eastman company team includes local architects Ford, Powell & Carson Inc., led by Principal Jay Louden AIA and Senior Associate Michael Guarino, and landscape architect Lawrence C. Clark ASLA, Vice President of Bender Wells Clark Design.
“This will be the next great place for San Antonio, and not just for transit riders” says Eckstut. “First and foremost, the plan for Westside Multimodal accommodates the site’s various transit elements, but the space is designed to draw people in for food, entertainment and leisure. We have designed a public square that will encourage future private investments and continue to revitalize the city’s Westside District.”
The design vision for Westside Multimodal Transit Center balances mass transit with open green space, mixed-use development, public art, educational signage, and a host of sustainable design features. The Center’s main entranceway will be located at the corner of Frio and Houston Streets, and clearly identifiable from long distances thanks to the planned “Light Tower” installation, designed by local San Antonio artist Bill Fitzgibbons.
The site is adjacent to the historic and newly renovated I&GN Station, which served as inspiration for the final design. The new facility will also further expand B-Cycle, the city’s bike share system, and plans are in the works for the Transit Center to accommodate future rail service as well.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Feb 12, 2015
New Appraisal Institute form aids in analysis of green commercial building features
The Institute’s Commercial Green and Energy Efficient Addendum offers a communication tool that lenders can use as part of the scope of work.
Office Buildings | Feb 12, 2015
Is Houston headed for an office glut?
More than 13 million sf could be completed this year, adding to this metro’s double-digit vacancy woes.
Modular Building | Feb 12, 2015
New shipping container complex begins construction in Albuquerque
The Green Jeans Farmery already has a hydroponic farm component courtesy of owner and entrepreneur Roy Solomon.
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.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 11, 2015
Primer: Using 'parallel estimating' to pinpoint costs on healthcare construction projects
As pressure increases to understand capital cost prior to the first spade touching dirt, more healthcare owners are turning to advanced estimating processes, like parallel estimating, to improve understanding of exposure, writes CBRE Healthcare's Andrew Sumner.
Transportation & Parking Facilities | Feb 11, 2015
11 of the nation’s best ‘Complete Streets’ policies of 2014
Austin, Texas, and Troy, N.Y., are among the cities with the strongest safe streets policies, according to a new report.
Sponsored | Roofing | Feb 11, 2015
New school blends with local architecture using Petersen metal roof
Perkins Eastman in Stamford, Conn., designed the school to emphasize and integrate the International Baccalaureate curriculum throughout.
Mixed-Use | Feb 11, 2015
Developer plans to turn Eero Saarinen's Bell Labs HQ into New Urbanist town center
Designed by Eero Saarinen in the late 1950s, the two-million-sf, steel-and-glass building was one of the best-funded and successful corporate research laboratories in the world.
Architects | Feb 11, 2015
Shortlist for 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award announced
Copenhagen, Berlin, and Rotterdam are the cities where most of the shortlisted works have been built.
BIM and Information Technology | Feb 10, 2015
Google's 3D scanning camera leaves the lab
Google is said to be partnering with LG to create a version of the technology for public release sometime this year.