An Installation Shows Washington, D.C. in a New Light

The infrastructure of the nation’s capital inspired an interactive installation by Hou de Sousa at the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority.

A rendering of Aura, a ceiling installation, is part of WMATA Triptych by Hou de Sousa, a permanent commission for the government agency’s headquarters.

It required laser-cutting 32 steel modules, which were welded to­gether, painted with a satin automotive paint, and threaded with colorful rope.

The modules were assembled at the Indianapolis studio of fabricator Ignition Arts before being shipped to Washington.

Installers on a pair of scissor lifts attached the modules to the lobby ceiling inside the WMATA headquarters.

Back in Indianapolis, large steel plates were welded together to form the base of and seating cavity for Hooray, an outdoor sculpture with an integrated perch.

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The Numbers Behind the Installation

• 10 engineers, welders, and installers led by Nancy Hou and Josh de Sousa
• 10,000 pounds of steel
• 17,000 linear feet of rope
• 8 months of fabrication
• 6 days of of installation

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To install the nearly 20-foot-tall Hooray in a small public courtyard in front of the WMATA headquarters, a crane hoisted the 8,200-pound sculpture off a truck bed onto a concrete pedestal, which is supported by pre-embedded anchor rods.

Nearby is the third piece of the triptych, the 12-foot-long Pebble in hand-forged and laser-cut steel that doubles as a public bench.

The installation’s colors were based on those of the WMATA metro lines.

The artworks celebrate Washington’s history of urban planning, transit, and infrastructure, from Pierre L’Enfant’s concept for the district to Harry Weiss’s iconic vaulted stations, and their addition to the headquarters was part of its comprehensive renovation by Studios Architecture.

This Underground Terminal in Istanbul Offers Cruise Ship Passengers a Unique Entry to Land

Istanbul is on a mission to revitalize its ancient commercial port district of Karaköy into a world-class cruise destination. It was up to hometown firm Autoban to conceive a cutting-edge, 3-million-square-foot terminal capable of serving 1.5 million passengers. To keep the waterfront open, the team took the radical step of burying the Galataport Istanbul Cruise Terminal underground: As a cruise ship docks into the port, a gangway rises to meet its doors and subsequently transports the passengers below. To make up for the lack of natural light, spaces are open and airy, with silvery artificial illumination throughout. The motif of repeating arches comes from another subterranean part of the city’s history: its ancient underground cisterns.

Autoban: seyhan ozdemir sarper; sefer caglar; bilal aydın; bugra bilgen; sila siva; elif gurtas

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So Concrete Builds a Sustainable Transit Stop in Prague

Employing robotic fabrication and a super-strong mix of the material it’s titled after, So Concrete has built a sturdy and sustainable transit stop in Prague.

After being awarded a commission by the city of Prague to design the Výstaviště tram stop from 3-D printed ultra-high-performance concrete, local multi­disciplinary studio So Concrete enhanced an initial AI rendering with a 1:50 scale model of the structure’s canopy.

How So Concrete Built a Sustainable Tram Stop

In conjunction with engineering consultant Stráský, Hustý, a more detailed rendering was made with Rhinoceros.

Another rendering examines the three columns supporting the canopy and bench to determine the least amount of steel needed, thereby reducing the project’s energy use.

Trajectories of a six-axis robotic arm were mapped out before the 3-D printing process, which resulted in a compression strength five times that of regular concrete.

A ma­terial specialist at So Concrete prepared the UHPC, modified to ensure optimal printing for the canopy and bench, which were both printed in six pieces before being assembled on-site.

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The Stats

• 10 engineers, designers, concrete technologists, and robot operators led by robotic engineer Dimitry Nikitin and designer Záviš Unzeitig
• 36 hours to 3-D print the basic structure
• 26 foot canopy length
• 15 days of installation
• 60% of comparable material saved

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Furthering the project’s sustainability, electronic displays showing timetables for the city’s 38 tram routes are solar-powered, all helping to encourage the use of public transportation instead of cars.

Muller2 Conceives a New Security Checkpoint at Chicago Midway International Airport in Line with Major Expansion

2021 Best of Year winner for Transportation – Large

For travelers, an airport is a gateway to a new place. That’s something Muller2 held in mind when conceiving a new security checkpoint at Chicago Midway International Airport as part of a major expansion project. It sits atop a new bridge structure that spans Cicero Avenue, widened from 50 to 400 feet to accommodate ever-increasing passenger traffic, that holds an 80,000-square-foot TSA security pavilion, plus another 18,000 square feet for concessions. The design even makes room for screening technologies that, while not currently in use, may be added in the future.

In pedestrian tunnels connecting landside to airside, embedded lighting has a futuristic feel that furthers the idea of a portal to another destination. Farther in, the main waiting area has plentiful sun thanks to a clerestory window wall just below the sculpted ribs of the cathedral ceiling. It’s an example of how glazing was used only where it would have maximum effect throughout the mostly solid envelope, letting in light while avoiding excessive heat gain with energy efficiency in mind. In another innovation, operable glass walls with layered graphics can shield extra security lanes from view when not in use. It’s a new warm welcome for visitors to Chicago, and timely as air travel slowly returns to pre-pandemic levels.

Muller2: Kurt Ziegel; David Steel; Mark Stromber

Rockwell Group Earns a Best of Year Award for the Moynihan Train Hall in New York

2021 Best of Year winner for Transportation – Small

The busiest transportation hub in the Western hemisphere, Pennsylvania Station’s current iteration has long been scorned as a poor replacement for the original McKim, Mead, and White building that was considered a beaux arts masterpiece. An ongoing expansion and renovation project hopes to restore it to its former glory beginning with the newly opened Moynihan Train Hall, an annex across the street by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill that relieves congestion by providing access to most of the station’s 21 tracks. Accordingly, Rockwell Group designed a ticketed waiting area for Amtrak and Long Island Railroad customers that brings the glamour back to travel.

Interior Design Hall of Fame member David Rockwell took inspiration from classic train stations, especially the old Penn; after all, the new hall is housed in the landmarked James A. Farley Building, designed by McKim, Mead, and White nearly concurrently. Curved benches and rounded walls are made of solid walnut slats, all of it highlighted by custom vintage-look sconces. That inviting material, along with nickel and bronze, were chosen to bring warmth to the 6,000-square-foot space. In addition to the four bench bays, there are freestanding high-tops served by custom-height barstools. Both are upholstererd in yellow and blue leatherlike, easy-to-clean vinyl, the latter color repeated in a glass installation that’s been laser-etched with graphics reminiscent of the framework of the hall’s roof. On other walls, photographs by Stan Douglas depict historic scenes from the original station.

Rockwell Group: David Rockwell; Richard Chandler; Dionysios Kaltis; Hilli Wuerz; Emir Dogan; Hayden Minick