Transportation revitalization
Marcy Marro,
Posted
06/01/2009
Transportation is
important to getting around a city. Easy access to public
transportation helps alleviate congestion on the roads while
promoting
sustainability and green living through a decrease in car emissions
and other
pollutants. The Bridgeport Intermodal Transportation Center in
Bridgeport,
Conn., is a key component of the city's interconnected public
transportation
complex that links bus, rail and ferry services along the
Bridgeport
waterfront. The new center replaces an antiquated and inefficient
bus terminal
and is expected to be a significant transportation and economic
development
magnet to Bridgeport's downtown and waterfront areas
According to Leonard Bertaux, AIA, principal at Bertaux + Iwerks
Architects, Boston, the intention was for the building to have a
contemporary appearance in both form and material, similar to an
aviation terminal.
Clad in zinc panels from Woburn, Mass.-based RHEINZINK America Inc.
and glass, the building is an iconic, visible symbol of public
transportation, as well as a warm and welcoming place for
passengers. RHEINZINK supplied 10,000 square feet (929 m2) of
22-gauge, 0.03-inch (0.8-mm) Preweathered Blue-Gray RHEINZINK Flat
Lock Tile for the project. The zinc façade is fully illuminated by
a ring of exterior in-ground lights.
"The Silver-Gray prepatina zinc panels gave us just the right color
and reflectance with a no maintenance material, which was highly
desirable for our client," Bertaux said.
The $23 million state-of-the-art facility includes 17 bus bays and
a 10,000-square-foot passenger terminal that physically links to
train and ferry terminals by a 1/4-mile (0.4-km) pedestrian bridge.
The 2,500-square-foot (232-m2) two-story waiting area features
several high-quality full-size photographs of historic Works
Progress Administration murals overhead.
YKK AP America Inc., Austell, Ga., supplied 14,000 square feet
(1,301 m2) of glass curtainwall for the passenger terminal and more
than 500,000 square feet (46,450 m2) of curtainwall for the
pedestrian bridges.
Open-air bus platforms are organized under two linear steel
canopies, manufactured by Tuckerman Steel, East Boston, Mass., that
provide protective covering with integrated seating for passengers.
Each platform has a custom glass art windscreen that combines
images and texts themed around journeys that is part of a public
art installation called "Stories on the Go" by Chris Iwerks.
The center incorporates local bus service; the Greater Bridgeport
Transit Authority; intercity bus service; commuter rail service;
ferry service to Long Island, N.Y.; and shuttle services to
metropolitan airports. The goal of this vast project is to bring
all these services into one easily accessible facility with
expanded passenger amenities and improved connectivity.
Bridgeport Intermodal Transportation Center, Bridgeport,
Conn.
Award: 2008 Design Excellence Award from the Boston Society of
Architects
Architect: Bertaux + Iwerks Architects, Boston
Fabricator/installer: Barrett Roofing, Danbury, Conn.
Steel canopy fabricator: Tuckerman Steel Fabricators, East Boston,
Mass.
Metal wall panels: RHEINZINK America Inc., Woburn,Mass.
Glass curtainwalls: YKK AP America Inc., Austell, Ga.
www.rheinzink.com; www.ykkap.com