Tag: Public Transportation

The 10 stations 26-mile Silver Line will extend between DFW Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano, TX. The alignment traverses between seven cities: Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Plano. The Silver Line Project’s primary purpose is to provide passenger rail connections and service that will improve mobility, accessibility and system linkages to major employment, population and activity centers in the northern part of the DART Service Area. The new Silver Line will give residents who work in the DRW area a safer and cleaner way to get to and from work. As a part of the Architectural team, McAfee3 was in charge 5 stations that incorporated the Art & Design program into each of the stations, assisted with community meetings, and created Architectural elements as each station that include column cladding, pavers, site elements, and landscaping.

• Firm’s Role: Architect
• Location: Miami, FL

Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza Station is a side platform above ground station. It serves both rail and bus routes. The structure is a precast concrete system with concrete panels and double tee floor system. Skylights in both the concourse and platform areas provide natural light. The station consists of three levels, a patron concourse at grade level, station support facilities at the second level and passenger platform at the third level. Also incorporated into the landscape are two reflection pools with inscription walls, bus bays, kiss and ride, bicycle parking and parking for cars are integrated with the overall facility.

As the architectural sub-consultant on the team, we were tasked with designing the new addition of the front vestibule, enclosed emergency stair, electrical yard enclosure, and covered walkway on the front the building as well as re-cladding the exterior in a new metal panel to distinguish the CDCC area from the existing facility. We designed the vestibule to be a secure entry for both staff and visitors and connect seamlessly in architectural style to the existing structure and new stair enclosure by using the same metal panel cladding on the exterior walls and the same store-front assembly on the vestibule and stair. This was a great project to work collaboratively with the rest of the team in a cloud based, BIM360 environment.

When Charles McAfee examined it according to their criteria, he realized that it was incorrect. When he mentioned this, they became upset because they had been paid for doing the preliminary design. But when Charles showed them what was wrong, they had to agree. They said, “Ok, if you do it and it goes over budget, you’re going to have to pay for it.” He went ahead and revised the preliminary design of the building so that it could be seen from the street in Atlanta, ultimately saving them $5,000,000 of their budget through the way he designed it.The station is a gray board from poured-in-place reinforced concrete structure which was designed to accommodate a patron concourse at grade level. A station support facility at an intermediate level, a passenger platform, plus a future pedestrian plaza on the roof. The patron concourse and the bus loading/unloading area share a common roof canopy which covers approximately 120 ft by 200 ft. The canopy is constructed by intersecting reinforced concrete beams which are structurally designed to support a pedestrian plaza The openings formed by the interesting beams will be covered in skylights. This will allow natural light to enter and provide shelter for the area below.

The new Oklahoma City Transit Center is a $4.8 million facility that accommodates 17 buses internally, express and trolley buses with an off-street depressed lane, and a kiss-n-ride drop off lane. The site layout and accessible circulation pattern provide customer friendly directions and public safety enhancements. The bus platform amenities include landscaping, benches, interactive signage, and Public Art and advertisement panels. The canopies provide ample shelter, generous illumination, and serves as a Symbolic Gateway for patrons. The Transit Center houses restrooms, public telephones, vending machines, a concierge area, and the interior seating is surrounded by a glass enclosure. The views allow patrons to observe arriving buses. Materials used throughout the facility are polished and rough faced “Trendstone” masonry units, wood glue-laminated beams and ceiling, terrazzo flooring, brushed aluminum storefront and windscreens, standing seam roofs, and “Supersky” translucent panels. The design is organized, simple and deliberate, promoting user-friendly movement.