Today I attended a SPUR-hosted lunchtime seminar on the new Transbay Transit Center, a centralized transit hub, being built and designed by Hines Development and Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. The Pelli team was chosen by TJPA after an international competition for the design and development of this massive project. TTT&C is being built at 1st Street and Mission and is comprised of a tower, the transit center, and a park. The project hopes to be LEED certified the tower will most likely be “gold”, while the transit center is expected to be “silver”.
The Transit Tower will be a 1200 ft white curved commercial building, which may become the tallest in San Francisco, if it passes through the city’s “entitlement process”. As a reference for how high that is, the Empire State Building is 1250 ft. What I found enchanting about this tower are the two twin cylindrical harmonic air turbines that will light the top of the tower. Depending on the wind speeds the light could be faint and dim, or strong and bright. Unfortunately, in order to produce a significant amount of power for other purposes, the turbines would have to be much larger and would produce a considerable increase in the noise and vibrations within the tower.
The Transit Center will be a hub for MUNI, Greyhound, Caltrain and eventually the California High Speed Rail. Riders will enter through one of 25 entrances including the ½ acre Mission Square; an open-air plaza topped by a glass canopied ceiling, indoor redwood trees, and a quaint funicular to take you to the rooftop park. Throughout the Center will be multi-storied “glass baskets” to allow natural light to filter into the depths of the building. Above the transit center itself the design incorporates a 5.5 acre rooftop park - as long as the tower is high. Nicknamed, City Park, the landscaper Peter Walker foresees a park which will emulate seven Californian terrains, from wetlands to woodlands and designed to provide a habitat for local fauna. The plans include streams, a jogging trail, a stage, fountains, and a playground. The water used throughout the park will be recycled grey water from the tower and transit facility. While the redwoods and Canary Island palm trees will assist in detoxifying the exhaust fumes from the buses.
These buildings are part of an extensive Transbay Project, www.transbaycenter.org, spearheaded by the TJPA which is creating a new neighborhood in San Francisco that includes residential, retail, and commercial space.
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