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
| Aug 28, 2013
Federal Government Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest federal government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 27, 2013
Industrial Sector Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest industrial sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 26, 2013
What you missed last week: Architecture billings up again; record year for hotel renovations; nation's most expensive real estate markets
BD+C's roundup of the top construction market news for the week of August 18 includes the latest architecture billings index from AIA and a BOMA study on the nation's most and least expensive commercial real estate markets.
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
| Aug 14, 2013
Green Building Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Jul 29, 2013
2013 Giants 300 Report
The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine present the findings of the annual Giants 300 Report, which ranks the leading firms in the AEC industry.
| Jul 22, 2013
Transportation Facility Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from airport terminals and other transportation-related facilities, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Local Government Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Clark Group, PCL top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest local government sector contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Local Government Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
STV, URS, AECOM top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest local government sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
