The design of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s new Midtown Bus Terminal will be led by Foster + Partners, the firm and the transit organization announced recently. The Port Authority is in the process of replacing its aging 72-year-old facility and has contracted the team to oversee the expansion of bus and passenger capacity, which includes improving the pickup/dropoff areas in the streets that surround it.
Foster + Partners says: “The new terminal will be designed to provide a best-in-class customer experience that serves the region’s 21st century public transportation needs, while enhancing the surrounding community and allowing for the removal of intercity buses from local streets.”
The multidisciplinary firm A. Epstein & Sons International will join the partnership to leverage its own considerable experience in the design of major public transit facilities. Foster + Partners thus will be asked to “review, evaluate, recommend, and provide advisory services on urban design, streetscape, functionalism, community impact, design and spatial strategies, materials, systems, sustainability, and interior design.”
They will also provide advisory services as the plan undergoes a strict National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process to ensure the project’s delivery in accordance with the Port Authority’s “ambitious” development targets. The firm says its plan also prioritizes community feedback and the application of cutting-edge technology in its design in order to enhance the arenas of sustainability and pedestrian experience.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to align our vision with that of the Port Authority to bring the future of transport and mobility to this vital hub for the entire region,” Epstein’s New York office Director Paul Sanderson said. “After over a decade working with local partners to reinvent the Javits Center nearby, we cannot wait to work with the commuters and the community surrounding the bus terminal on this historic project with such transformative potential. The greatest city in the world deserves the best facility in the world, and we aim for no less than that.”
Foster + Partners’ portfolio of similar recent commissions includes the new Stockholm Central Station and Guangming Hub. This will become Midtown’s second major transportation infrastructure upgrade following SOM’s $1.6 billion Moynihan Train Hall project that was completed at the end of 2020. As the firm noted, the 42nd Street nexus is considered to be the busiest bus terminal in the world.
4 Comments
Fosters has been killing it in the NYC market, after not making a mark on it for decades. Between 425 Park Ave, 551 West, the PENN15 proposal, the JPM HQ and now this, they're really squaring up against the traditional NY powerhouses in prestige, albeit not yet in quantity.
there really needs to be a licensing exam for archviz. light does not magically appear as suggested in the renderings.
Interesting decision to specify continuous, to-the-floor glazing for a building that will be used and abused by literally 10's of thousands of people daily. The amount of money they'd have to spend on repairs/maintenance for that yearly could build a bus depot or 2 in the Deep South.
Surely they're early in the process still but... Looks like the design team has their rose-colored glasses on real tight at the moment.
-Longtime Port Authority commuter
'to the floor glazing' is what die-hard modernists do, so no surprise there. That said, the street view looks promising. If there's a program designed for this kind of firm, this is it. Hopefully they won't hide most of it in yet another boring glass curtain wall. Show us your details!!!
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.