Perkins+Will Continues to Lead Global Transit Design

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Global architecture and design firm, Perkins+Will was recently selected by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) to design eight stations for the fourth and final phase of the Honolulu Rail Transit project. The elevated rail will span 20 miles and is expected to carry more than 115,000 passengers per weekday, facilitating transit-oriented design to support the expected 200,000 person increase in Honolulu's population by the year 2030.

The HART project is just one of many transit projects that Perkins+Will has designed throughout the world, serving to transform the surrounding communities by providing modern, efficiently designed transportation in urban areas.

"Perkins+Will's approach to transit design is focused on enhancing the passenger experience, with accessible and inviting stations," said Director of Transportation Design Jeff Doble, AIBC, LEED AP. "Our projects stand out because we consciously work to integrate the designs into the fabric of each community."

Perkins+Will transit projects are located throughout the world, including the Riyadh Metro and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in Saudi Arabia, the Atlanta Beltline, and multiple projects in Canada. Commissioned by the Riyadh Development Authority, the metro and bus systems are part of the largest transit project in the world. Following the successful completion of the metro stations, the BRT system's function and design is complimentary to the metro, providing unique and identifiable stations for the BRT while rounding out the family of Riyadh's transportation facilities.

"Many clients are interested in having some kind of iconic design within the stations," said San Francisco office Managing and Design Director Peter Busby, FAIA, LEED AP. "We are successful because we create distinctive architecture for our transit clients. Our projects attract users and serve to make their lives and their travel experiences interesting and comfortable."

Riyadh's new public transportation system is expected to be complete by 2018. The project will transform the streetscape of the city and reduce its dependency on the single occupant vehicle, relieving congestion in anticipation of a population growth of over 2.5 million people by 2030.

The Atlanta Beltline is one of Perkins+Will's many transportation projects that will be seamlessly woven into the city's urban landscape. Created from a 22-mile loop of underutilized urban land, which runs near 40 growing central Atlanta neighborhoods, the Atlanta Beltline combines light-rail transit, multi-use paths and linear parks.

"The Atlanta Beltline is organized around neighborhood conservation, transit, trails, and economic development," said Senior Urban Designer Ryan Gravel, AICP, LEED AP. "Once completed, it will strongly support the region, providing a sophisticated approach to public space and cultural development." 

Perkins+Will also designed three new stations for the Richmond portion of the Canada Line transit system, completed in 2009. The group was designed as a family, united by similar structures, glazing, and roof elements which provide weather protection for the length of the platform and clearly identify the stations as part of the Canada Line's Richmond segment.

In 2011, the firm also completed the preliminary design of seven stations for Ottawa's Confederation Line Light Rail Transit project, a new transit line that spans 7 miles across the city. The stations were designed using a vocabulary of parts that could be efficiently deployed across the system creating identifiable stations that respond to each unique context and provide residents and visitors with convenient links to community and city-wide destinations.

"Our multi-office teams have experience executing complicated projects throughout the globe," Busby said. "We have developed strategies for combatting urban sprawl and instead organizing cities around public transit. Perkins+Will is well-equipped to shape the way that cities are changing for the future."

About Perkins+Will

Perkins+Will is an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm established in 1935 and founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance communities. Each of the firm's 24 offices focuses on local, regional and global work in a variety of practice areas. With hundreds of award-winning projects annually, Perkins+Will is ranked as one of the top global design firms. Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the industry's preeminent sustainable design firms due to its innovative research, design tools, and expertise. The firm's 1,500 professionals are thought leaders developing 21st century solutions to inspire the creation of spaces in which clients and their communities work, heal, live, and learn. Social responsibility is a fundamental aspect of Perkins+Will's culture and every year the company donates 1% of its design services to pro bono initiatives. For more information, visit www.perkinswill.com.

SOURCE Perkins+Will