I know I shouldn’t compare, but man it would be nice to have projects thought through at this scale (details here).
I am not saying I love everything about this project, but I appreciate its ambition, and how it combines so many functions and ideas into one project. Could you imagine if our Bonaventure Re-think (short on thinking, btw) actually considered the fact that it was connected to other parts of downtown (and yes, was connected to the city of Montréal). Thinking a few blocks out, or even at the city scale, might have led those responsible to try and come up with something that was a little more cohesive, coherent, and interesting.
…something I do love is that this project in San Francisco will take what looks like an 6-8 lane road and replaces it with green space (a 5.4 acre roof-top park/garden). Lovely.
I also love how this very large-scale project (which I often don’t like) is focused on public transportation (including high-speed versions), and uses geothermal and wind energy, as well as other green building principles. A blurb from ArchDaily:
San Francisco’s newest transit hub will centralize all the transportation in the city by accomodating nine systems under one roof. Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects have designed a new terminal, a 1.3 mile extension of the Caltrain rail line, and the redevelopment of the surrounding area which will add 2,600 new homes, a 5.4 acre park roof and a retail street. And a loan of over $170 million given by the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act has given the project an extra push foward. Once completed in 2014, the terminal will include wind turbines, geothermal heating methods and a graywater recycling system. The hub will be a strong message that green technology can successfully be combined with modern transportation. “We are thrilled to be one of the first modern rail stations in the United States to achieve this historic milestone and look forward to continuing to make progress on the Transbay Project,” explained Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan, Executive Director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA).
…anyway, nice to see that even in tough economic times there is no shortage of inspiring projects. I almost wouldn’t care if we NEVER built something like this in Montréal … I would just love to see someone in Montréal (in the design and/or public realm) actually propose something audacious, innovative and forward-looking for once.
