Located at the edge of Boston's financial district, the new Transportation Operations Control Center is the control hub of the city's public transportation network. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, responsible for running the system, had previously been managing public transit vehicles from an overcrowded, windowless structure on the site.

In designing the new structure, the architects faced considerable site and construction challenges. Because the existing building was the primary location of signals, its placement had to be located on the same site. However, it could not be expanded at street level because of the need to access a power substation. The solution was to build vertically and add five new stories, which doubled the buildings volume.

A key component in the new structure is the two-tier operations control theater that brings together, in one space, the operations management of light rail, rapid transit and bus systems. This enhances the coordination of service requirements and scheduling needs. A glass-fronted mezzanine control room enables the controllers to coordinate the vehicle dispatchers and resources in cases of emergencies.

Attention was also give to the external appearance of the building. One harbor-facing side features a deep cornice and cantilevered steel balcony, and the other flat facade, facing the financial district, is articulated through its window system.

CREDITS...

• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
• Gould/Associates, Inc.
• Millkey & Brown Associates, Inc.

JURY COMMENTS...

Transit platforms that are located above or below public rights of way have difficulty serving patrons well. Removed from pedestrian traffic and isolated from ground floor activities of adjacent buildings, they establish an isolated environment that can be disconcerting and appear insecure.

The West 25th Rapid Station succeeds by providing an enclosed building that embraces riders and allows them to see out and be seen. In the process, riders are never very remote from the pedestrian activity that surround the station. The station functions as in inviting and animated lantern, establishing it as a logical and comfortable pedestrian destination.