CONTEXTO

Angle Lake Transit Station and Plaza is an Envision certified sustainable mixed-use facility consisting of a 1-acre connecting plaza and community event spaces, a drop-off area for light rail users, retail space with dedicated bike storage and parking and a 35,000 square-foot parcel for future transit-oriented development. It also includes a parking structure for 1,150 cars designed to accommodate conversion to new future uses. Serving over 2,500 passengers daily, including the headquarters for Alaska Airlines, which employs more than 7,500 people in the immediate surrounds and over 4ooo people living within ½ mile of the station. The $31 mil., seven acre 400,000 square foot mixed-use complex was the result of an international design/build competition. It features a seven-story, cast-in-place and post-tensioned concrete structure with an exterior façade that uses over 7,500 custom formed blue anodized aluminum façade panels. Using ruled surface geometry, the undulating façade is formed by connecting two curves with a series of straight lines to form the surface of the façade. Each of the custom aluminum façade elements were designed and segmented into standardized sizes for the most efficient structural shape and material form, while maximizing production, fabrication and installation cost efficiency. This technique allowed the design team to work with complex curved forms and rationalize them into simple, cost-effective standardized components, making them easy to fabricate and efficient to install. The entire façade was installed in less than three weeks without the use of cranes or special equipment.

ACTUACIÓN

Angle Lake is a place that provides social, environmental, and economic benefits to the community year round and has been designed to encourage walking and socializing. Exterior stairs have been designed to be special, not standard, and the elevator is tucked out of the way in favor of a more open pathway, which provides users with more options for socializing and promoting wellness. Abundant public seating, shade canopies and landscaped areas provide a user-friendly welcoming environment. Public art is integrated into the design throughout and part of the user experience. Spaces for neighborhood cultural events and local entertainers are provided to enhance the experience of users while gaining exposure. The project also contributes positively to the area by respecting the areas natural watershed ecology by retaining and collecting storm water runoff in a 400,000 gallon cistern directing water to infiltration planters, designed to clean storm water and attract migratory birds, bees and butterflies along the Pacific Flyway.