Design chosen for Transbay Transit Center

Illustration courtesy TransbayCenter.org

By Caitlin Cassady

September 20, 2007

The Transbay Joint Powers Authority Board of Directors decided today on a design by Pelli Clark Pelli Architects and Hines for a Transbay Transit Center in downtown San Francisco that will include a city park on the roof of the transit terminal.

The board of directors has been considering three different firms to complete the new building that will located at First and Mission streets.

The structure will also include a skyscraper that will be one of the tallest buildings on the West Coast.

The skyscraper will be obelisk in shape, according to the Transbay Joint Authority, and its base will be encased in glass to let in natural light. The park will help improve the environmental impact of the center by absorbing pollution, treating and recycling water and providing a habitat for local wildlife.

The transit center will accommodate eight regional transportation systems, including Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, Caltrain, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, Golden Gate Transit, San Mateo County Transit District, Greyhound, Bay Area Rapid Transit and the future California High-Speed Rail.

California High Speed Rail promises to reduce travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles to two and a half hours, according to officials.

The design will not only construct a new transit center, but it will incorporate a new neighborhood with homes, shops and parks adjacent to the transit center, according to the Transbay Joint Authority.

Copyright © 2007 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

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