Thesis Abstract #1

Rethink DC Metro Station

Design a Better Station for the Neighborhoods

This thesis studies the condition of the Metro Stations as an element in the city. It considers the role of the stations as the major access points in the city and explores what the architecture of the stations could be.

The research will analyze the architecture of the existing stations in relation to their urban or suburban context. The analysis will cover the form and urban setting of the stations, including the relationships between the stations and the ground plane, roads, pedestrian network, city fabric, community space, surrounding architecture etc. This analysis might also consider the potential expansion of the Metro system such as the separate blue line.

Precedents of railway stations design will be used to compare and contrast with the existing Metro stations as part of the research. It will then lead to the exploration of the design of the metro stations. Station(s) with richer context and higher design potentials will be identified as site for the design proposal.

The programs of the design proposal will be developed based on the urban, socio-cultural and economics context of the site, so that the station can perform as a vibrant element in its context. At the same time, the function of the building should be kept as railway station primarily.

The goal of this thesis is to seek opportunities to create more interesting architecture for the Metro stations in the national capital. So that the new design of the stations can rejuvenate the neighborhoods and create vibrant urban centers in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area.

Norman Foster | Canary Wharf, London

http://maps.live.com/
Canary Wharf station is located at a dense office district .



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Canary_wharf_tube_station_750px.jpg
The ground extend into the station through the wide entrance.



http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/jpgs/london_building_aw230607_2820.jpg
Glass entrance canopy allows sunlight to penetrate into the ticket concourse, linking the underground environment with the light and air outside.



http://www.greenroofs.com/archives/media/sg-canary_wharf_tube_station.jpg
The roof of the station is a park, a livable open space among surrounding high-rise buildings.

Railway Stations as Nodes

"Nodes are points, the strategic foci into which one the observer can enter, and
which are the intensive foci to and from which he is traveling." [Lynch p.47]

Characteristics of Nodes

- junctions of paths

- thematic concentration

- spatial organizers/orienting points in the city

- decision making points

- strong form -> more memorable

- introvert / extrovert (directional quality)

Lynch discussed railway stations as nodes specifically in his book for few times. For instance, he said some subway stations are important points in a map of a city, and major railroad stations are almost always important city nodes. An example he gave was Boston's South Station, which was one of the strongest nodes in the city because of it is both functionally vital and visually impressive. [Lynch p.74]

Railway stations are usually major concentration points that many people go to and gather around. The notion of node can also be strengthened if the exit is addressed with an entrance plaza. However in this sense, many subway stations in New York City are not strong nodes. They are merely stairs or escalators come out from holes in the ground right next to the streets and sidewalks.

In Washington DC where density is not as high as New York City, there are higher potentials for the subway stations to be overtly announced as strategic nodes in the city, especially at locations closely related to the symbolic plan of DC. Visually prominent stations in such locations can also strengthen the quality of nodes and make the place more memorable.

Jacobs | Blackfriars Station, London

World Architecture News

It will be the first station across the river Thames. The redevelopment of the Blackfriars Station will extend the current platforms across the Thames to the South bank, with entrances on both sides of the river. The project will upgrade the capacity of the station, and improve the interchange facilities between the Tube and National Rail services. It will also improve access from the station to major attractions such as Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe theatre. This project is a good example for considering the station as a path, connecting the North and South bank of Thames, improving pedestrian connectivity in the city.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10207

Railway Stations as District

"Districts are the relatively large city areas which the observer can mentally go inside of, and which have some common character" [Lynch p.66]

It is difficult for one to consider railway as a district. I can only think of rail yard, which cover large city area. But I cannot mentally go inside it. I think rail yard is a forbidden land in a city, it is a dead zone for pedestrian.

Among the current proposals for the redevelopment of the West Side Rail Yard in New York City, none of them have fully explored the potentially rich relationship between the railyards and the development above them, according to New York Times critics.1 It is likely that the "potentially rich relationship" is in fact not so rich, that those architects chose not to emphasize in their designs.

http://www.nypress.com/images/westside.jpg

Railway Stations as Edges

"Edges are the linear elements not used or considered as paths by the observer." [Lynch p.47]

However, "Edges are often paths as well...the circulation image seemed to be the dominant one. The element was usually pictured as a path, reinforced by boundary characteristics." [Lynch p.65]

Not to consider Lynch contradicted himself, I think what he tried to explain was that: from the observer's point of view, there are some linear elements which are clearly Paths (eg. Key Bridge in DC), while some are clearly Edges (water line of the Potomac River). But there are some that possess the characteristics of both Path and Edge.

Characteristics of Edges
- may be boundaries between two kinds of areas
- lateral references rather than coordinate axes
- visually & spatially penetrable / impenetrable
- uniting seams / isolating barriers
- continual / fragmented
- visual & spatial prominence
- directional

Railway lines are observed as edges by people not on the train. In many cases, they are visually and spatially impenetrable unless they are elevated as well as constructed in a way that they have better looking. While subways, which are buried in the ground, clearly show no characteristics of Edges.

Railway stations are segments of the railway lines. They are also observed as edges in the city. They are usually adjacent to public squares, open spaces or roads where the linear form of the station will give a significant boundary to the adjacent space. However, such edges may become urban barriers for pedestrians and vehicles if they are not well designed.

The Bijlmer ArenA Station in Amsterdam, designed by Grimshaw Architects, is a good example of converting an urban barrier to a uniting seam between the two sides of the station. Plus it is architecturally appealing.

For subway stations, which are the connections between the buried paths and the upper ground, are the mere opportunities to express the edge qualities through the superstructure of the stations. As many subway alignments follow major corridors in the city, the edge expression can work with the paths to enhance each other.

However, in a dense urban core where subways usually serve, such expression become too expensive to achieve, and not quite fit in the context. It is reasonable to keep a modest gesture for the stations and to develop a more extensive underground network in urban core.

While if the stations are located outside the urban core where land pressure is not very tight, there are more potential to build a visually prominent architecture for the stations.

Grimshaw | Bijlmer ArenA Station, Amsterdam

Grimshaw Architects
World Architecture News

"Prior to the construction the station split the east and west of the city with a commercial development and stadium to the west and to the east a residential area highly populated with Amsterdam's immigrant workers. The new design raised the rail tracks creating a pedestrianised plaza crossing underneath the lines through viaducts and adjoining the east and west."

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10130