Orange County’s New Transit Hub - Extroverted Building on the go!

Info & Images: Courtesy HOK

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Opened on Dec.13.’14, HOK-designed iconic transportation hub, Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Centre (ARTIC) will serve as new gateway for Orange County...

The iconic terminal building, which sets a precedent for civic-minded transit hubs in the United States, is an innovative piece of architecture with a beautiful and simple form that integrates amenities such as transit-oriented retail, specialty dining, Wi-Fi and charging stations, parking, bike racks and lockers, and community space.   

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The world-class gateway for Orange County’s transportation systems includes auto, bus and rail systems as well as future streetcar and high-speed trains.

The new transit hub will accommodate Anaheim’s projected growth of 13 percent by 2035, while transforming the city from a drivable suburb to a model for walk-able urban development.  

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Drawing inspiration from classic grand transit halls including Grand Central Terminal in New York, along with the structural elegance of local airship hangars, the team developed a 21st-century design concept for the forward-looking transit facility. The design achieves ARTIC’s signature parabolic form by employing a diagrid structural system of diamond-shaped steel arches in-filled with high-tech, translucent ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) pillows. At the north and south ends, freestanding curtain walls bring in daylight and open the building to views. The long-span, grid shell structure creates a grand, light-filled atrium space that accommodates open circulation.

As darkness falls, LEDs mounted on the diagrid structure illuminate the ETFE pillows in gradations of shifting colours, and ARTIC acts as a beacon from the freeways and local streets.

 

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The innovative sustainable design strategies for this anticipated LEED® Platinum building will dramatically reduce energy use, water use, solid waste production and carbon emissions while spurring transit-oriented development. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been extensively used to clearly communicate the design to the clients and public, as well as to help develop the complex form, geometry and functions, while achieving set goals for sustainability.