For the first time since 1948, part of the Near West Side of Chicago will have train access to it, and an easy way to travel far beyond. Plans for the Damen Green Line Station, a new glass-walled transportation center to be located at Damen Avenue and Lake Street, recently were unveiled.
With glass walls, open sightlines meant to give broad views of Chicago, and a landmark green truss mimicking both the city’s bridges and the Green Line itself, the planned transit center will serve as a connection point for train-to-bus riders, at nearly every hour of the day and night. Designed by Perkins+Will, the open-concept structure will be brightly illuminated to provide a safe atmosphere.
Having a public art installation, a grand staircase and elevated glass towers, the structure is meant to be eye-catching, but also intended as a spot from which the eye can wander. Capped by a bridge comprised of a glass-enclosed passageway supported by what might one day be considered iconic green steel trusses, the bridge will connect outbound and inbound passengers, and perhaps connect both Chicagoans and visitors to the city with the visual impact of the city itself, by way of the sweeping views if it.
“Today’s groundbreaking marks another major milestone for the CTA, which brings new jobs and opportunities for Chicago’s residents,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel says. “This new station will be a community anchor, serve those who live and work in the neighborhood, and will become a gateway to further usher in economic growth for the Near West Side.”
Perkins+Will has designed more than 120 transit stations around the world. The Damen Green Line Station is the latest of those public transit developments.
“We are excited to partner with the City of Chicago on this important project in our own backyard,” says Douglas Smith, Managing Principal at Perkins+Will. “We are a Chicago-based firm, so are proud to use our global expertise to enhance the public transit experience of Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) riders and help return access and investment to this community.”
Related Stories
| Oct 16, 2014
Henning Larsen Architects to design train station for planned Danish town
Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects won Frederikssung municipality’s architecture competition for a regional train station in the planned city of Vinge—Denmark’s largest urban development.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Oct 3, 2014
New survey tracks Americans’ attitudes towards transit use
A record 10.7 billion rides were taken on public transit in the United States last year. And a national survey of Americans finds that the speed, reliability, and cost, more than any other factors, determine people’s willingness and frequency of use.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 15, 2014
Ranked: Top international AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of U.S.-based design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 12, 2014
Final phase of The High Line elevated park set to open in Manhattan
For the first time, visitors will be able to walk the full length of The High Line, covering 22 city blocks at 30 feet in the air with expansive views of New York City and the Hudson River.
