BUILDING EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION INDIANA
MARCH 2016
New Indianapolis Transit Center Aims to Upgrade Public Transportation Perception while Maximizing Efficiency
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Promotes Better Passenger Experience Pl 2  Building Excellence  March 2016
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or the last 50 years, taking the bus in Indianapolis often required street-side transfers downtown. “Indianapolis hasn’t had an off-street transfer facility for passengers since the mid-1960s when the old interurban Traction Terminal closed,” said Bryan Luellen, Director of Public Affairs for IndyGo, the municipal corporation in charge of public transportation for Indianapolis-Marion County. To improve customers’ experience and upgrade the perception of public transportation, IndyGo and the City of Indianapolis are building a new $26.5 million Downtown Transit Center, scheduled to open in June. “We’re trying to celebrate ridership and people’s experience to help strengthen our transit system,” said Drew White, FAIA, Project Principal for Indianapolis’ Axis Architecture + Interiors, the project’s design architect. Axis teamed with Indianapolis-based
AECOM as architect of record and Rundell Ernstberger Associates (REA) as site design and landscape architect. With the 1.9-acre site surrounded by one-way streets, the team strategized ways to maximize capacity for bus arrivals and departures while creating a hospitable environment for passengers and the community. They also looked to design an iconic architectural welcome on the east side of downtown, complementing other high-profile projects in the area. Built by Weddle Bros. Construction Co., Inc., of Bloomington, Ind., the new Transit Center includes 19 bus bays with curving canopies to let in natural light while protecting passengers from the elements. A 14,000 square-foot glass building with a sculptural metal roof offers a large indoor waiting area, while green space provides a tranquil respite (and manages storm water run-off to help with LEED certification).
Traffic Planning First Until the new Transit Center opens, IndyGo routes terminate in a one-way loop in central Indianapolis. “There are some problems the current set-up creates, including long queues of buses that make connecting really difficult,” Luellen said. “The objective of this project was to improve the passenger experience and the reliability of the service.” After exploring a number of possibilities over the years, IndyGo settled on the current site, a former parking lot donated by the City of Indianapolis. A federal grant paid for $13.5 million of construction costs and the City of Indianapolis funded the rest. “This location ended up being a really great fit for us,” Luellen said. “It’s right in central city and it’s really close walking distance to a high density of jobs. A lot of transit facilities end up on the outskirts of the area they serve and that creates
y Axis, AECOM, and REA
lus Architectural Welcome to Downtown
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“We tried to think beyond the boundaries of our site - how it fits in and how it would act as a genesis for other projects.” Drew White, FAIA, Project Principal, Axis Architecture + Interiors we didn’t want to construct foundations across that tunnel. When we put in storm water facilities—rain gardens or underground chambers—we didn’t want to be over the top of the tunnel and introduce water.”
Respites and Storm Water
ongoing operating costs. This location is where 27 of our 31 routes converge so minimal rerouting will be required.” However, “The site is actually really small,” Luellen added. “That created some challenges in the design, but they’ve done a great job of building a really elegant solution.” The first goal in site planning was maximizing the number of bus bays.
“It turned into a traffic and space planning exercise,” said Kevin Osburn, PLA, ASLA, REA’s Principal in Charge of Site Design. “The site is surrounded by oneway streets. The efficient entering and exiting of buses, pulsing out in 15-minute intervals, required us to rethink the surrounding streets. We were able to add a northbound lane for buses only on Alabama [currently a southbound-only
street] to allow buses to enter the Transit Center.” In the middle of the site, a tunnel 15 feet underground allows transport of prisoners between the adjacent jail and courts in the City-County Building. “It was a major challenge working around and over the top of that tunnel,” Osburn said. “It’s one of the reasons why the building sits on one half of the site;
The rain gardens are part of the public space that sits in the northwest corner of the site. “We wanted to make sure we provided a pleasant and welcoming urban space, with the idea that we’re trying to add a sense of dignity and civic pride to public transportation,” Osburn said. “We wanted to celebrate this new era—one that presents public transportation as a preferred option to using your car, as an efficient and environmentally friendly way to move around the city. The site design reflects this civic pride and provides a nice respite from the busyness of the terminal.” The plaza features long, bench-height, freestanding walls with wood seating incorporated into the precast stone and concrete. A series of walkways (featuring precast concrete, plank-style pavers) lead to the Transit Center building, which features entrances on the north, south, and west sides to make it more welcoming. “We also incorporated a lot of plantings which not only provide a pleasant green atmosphere but help collect and cleanse storm water,” Osburn said. “It’s kind of a high-performance landscape.” A strip of permeable concrete pavers allows rain to infiltrate into joints and collect in underground storage chambers beneath the bus bays. “Any rain that falls on the site will be passed through the soil mediums in the rain gardens or infiltrated through the permeable pavers and col-
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“We were able to collect and remove nearly all of the site’s annual storm water from the city’s storm sewer system.” Kevin Osburn, PLA, ASLA, Principal in Charge of Site Design, REA
lected in underground storage chambers for infiltration,” Osburn explained. “We were able to collect and remove nearly all of the site’s annual storm water from the city’s storm sewer system.” In addition to reducing infrastructure costs, the storm water management system contributed to the goal of LEED Silver certification. Other sustainable features include high-efficiency mechanical systems, daylight controls, and low-emissive glass. To encourage other environmentally friendly modes of transportation, the site also incorporates covered bike parking. IndyGo and the City of Indianapolis are exploring possible bike and car sharing facilities.
Iconic Shapes and Canopies
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To improve customers’ time at the Transit Center, “IndyGo demanded that every passenger have cover from the elements throughout their experience,” White said. “If you get off a bus, you’re under cover all the way to the visitor center; if you transfer buses, you stay covered during your entire experience.” As an architectural element, “We wanted those structures to be as light as possible and not overwhelming,” he added. “We researched other transit centers throughout the U.S. and frequently saw one massive structure covering everything. We wanted separate canopy pieces that delineate the site and allow natural light through.” The bus bay canopies feature two intertwining components: curving struc-
tural steel with glass ceilings, and solid, rectangular structural steel. “Some allow natural light and some are more solid to provide interest,” White explained At the northeast corner of the site, “We designed the Transit Center building to capture attention and create a branding landmark for the city,” he said. “The blue metal underside of the roof extends inside the building and comes back outside. We saw it as a curving roof on top with a glass box underneath that glows at night and allows for natural light during the day. It’s more than a transit center; it’s a beacon.” In addition to the indoor waiting area, the building includes customer service, public restrooms, and space for a small café, as well as IndyGo offices on the second floor.
Showcase for Past and Future Construction of the new Transit Center began in September 2014. The original plan anticipated completion in November 2015, but last May crews ran into unexpected archaeological discoveries that temporarily halted construction. Work resumed after an additional 17
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“The site is actually really small. That created some challenges in the design, but they’ve done a great job of building a really elegant solution.” Bryan Luellen, Director of Public Affairs, IndyGo
Key Project Personnel •
Owner – City of Indianapolis; Ed Parsley, IndyGo Project Manager and Director of Facilities
• Design Architect – Axis Architecture + Interiors, Indianapolis; Drew White, FAIA, Project Principal; Eric Anderson, AIA, Project Manager; Geoff DeSmit, Associate AIA, Project Architect
• Architect of Record – AECOM, Indianapolis; Steve Robinson, AIA, Project Principal; Kerry Osborne, AIA, Project Manager; Joe Fischer, RA, Project Architect; Dale Gobreski, PE, Lead Electrical Engineer; John George, PE, Lead Structural Engineer; Albert Radomski, Graduate Architect
• Site Design and Landscape Architect – Rundell Ernstberger Associates, Indianapolis; Kevin Osburn, PLA, ASLA, Principal in Charge of Site Design; Jeff Maydak, Project Manager
• Owner’s Construction Manager – Shiel Sexton, Indianapolis; Michael Green, Senior Project Manager • General Contractor – Weddle Bros. Construction Co., Inc., Bloomington, Ind.; Kevin Marlin, Project Superintendent
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core samples, more digging, and ground stabilization. Although the delay moved the completion date to June and increased the cost from $20 million to $26.5 million, “There was a lot of history uncovered,” Luellen said. “More than half a dozen building foundations were unearthed, not to mention some interesting ar-
tifacts that give us a glimpse into the past.” IndyGo is working with the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis on a curation plan to showcase the archaeological findings, including glass, flatware, and hand-carved smoking pipes made from bone. Some of the artifacts date back to the mid-1800s.
Going forward, the Transit Center will serve as a welcome to visitors headed downtown from the east side. With the Indianapolis Cultural Trail across the street and the new Cummins Inc. offices and Flaherty & Collins Properties’ apartment tower nearby on the former Market Square Arena site, “We tried to think beyond the boundaries of our
site—how it fits in and how it would act as a genesis for other projects,” White said. “It couldn’t be a standard design solution. We feel the Transit Center fits in well with all the new construction; enhances that district of our downtown; and serves as a striking, iconic piece of the pie.”
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