Bay gateway: The daily grind of commuting on San Francisco's Bay Area rail system is enlivened by this new local station which forms a strong yet dignified suburban landmark.The origins of San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit “BART” redirects here. For other uses of "BART" or "Bart", see Bart. The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is a heavy rail public rapid-transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. system (BART) date back to 1946, when local business and civic leaders began discussing ways of easing congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. caused by the huge post-war migration to the suburbs around the bay and a subsequent explosion of car use. Work eventually began in the mid '60s, with the construction of a tunnel under the bay linking San Francisco with Oakland. Today the network has 95 miles of track and 39 stations, spread over five lines. A new extension linking the city centre with the airport on the south-west side of the bay is currently under construction. When this is complete, it is estimated that it will eliminate 10 000 car journeys per day. With many American urban roads paralysed by gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. and a growing awareness of the environmental damage caused by car dependence, there has been a revival of interest in railways, both at local and national levels, as a more sustainable means of mass transport. In this respect, systems such as BART have benefited from increased funding and political backing. Recent new BART stations have also manifested an encouragingly imaginative approach to architecture that has transformed them into landmarks for their urban and suburban communities. San Francisco-based architects SmithGroup won a competition to design a new station for Pleasanton and East Dublin, typical edge-city commuter conurbations lying in a valley to the east of Oakland. Dictated by the exigencies of transport planning, the site for the station was fairly nondescript, but the architects have managed to overcome this sense of placelessness and civilize civ·i·lize tr.v. civ·i·lized, civ·i·liz·ing, civ·i·liz·es 1. To raise from barbarism to an enlightened stage of development; bring out of a primitive or savage state. 2. the humdrum experience of daily rail commuting. Trains run on elevated tracks flanked on either side by a busy 14 lane freeway. Passengers arrive at a ground level station concourse from where banks of escalators, stairs and lifts whisk them up to the main platform level. Raised slightly above the freeway, the two platforms offer agreeably distracting views of the surrounding valley. The long thin platform strip is sheltered by a sinuously sin·u·ous adj. 1. Characterized by many curves or turns; winding: a sinuous stream. 2. Characterized by supple and lithe movements: the sinuous grace of a dancer. undulating roof, its gently curved form mirroring the rolling hills that enclose the valley. Clad in gleaming stainless steel stainless steel: see steel. stainless steel Any of a family of alloy steels usually containing 10–30% chromium. The presence of chromium, together with low carbon content, gives remarkable resistance to corrosion and heat. panels, the serpentine form resembles a giant snake slithering slith·er v. slith·ered, slith·er·ing, slith·ers v.intr. 1. To glide or slide like a reptile. See Synonyms at slide. 2. To walk with a sliding or shuffling gait. 3. through the landscape. Materials were chosen for their durability and ease of maintenance, so the station has a knockabout elegance that can withstand the regular rigours of commuter life. All exposed metal is steel and the station concourse and parking structures incorporate three kinds of concrete (in situ, precast pre·cast adj. Relating to or being a structural member, especially of concrete, that has been cast into form before being transported to its site of installation. , and blocks). The roof canopy is made up of stainless steel composite panels bonded to a bituminous bi·tu·mi·nous adj. 1. Like or containing bitumen. 2. Of or relating to bituminous coal. Adj. 1. bituminous - resembling or containing bitumen; "bituminous coal" rolled sheet over pl ywood. Painted metal decking supported by steel joists forms its underside. Set at different angles, the joists maintain a constant eaves level, but also allow the fin-like canopy ridge to vary in height, generating the rippling form. The undulating roof protects passengers from sun and rain, but the mild local climate means that the platform level need not be fully enclosed. The prominence of the canopy also signifies the presence of public transport to people going by car. Driving west from the Central Valley, the station marks the beginning of the San Francisco Bay area “Bay Area” redirects here. For other uses, see Bay Area (disambiguation). The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as the Bay Area or The Bay , its welcoming, wavelike roof a gateway to the city beyond, as well as a dignified new local landmark. Architect SmithGroup, San Francisco Project team William Diefenbach, Stephen Peppler, jeffrey Pribyl Structural engineer Rutherford & Chekene Mechanical engineer Gayner Engineers Landscape architect Haygood & Associates Photographs Jane Lldz. 1,5 Mark Luthringer, 2,3,4 |
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