The Providence Connection

•

-- train station redesign at Providence, RI

The station, at the heart of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, is a site of convergence of different paths, mobilities, and flows. Situated between the fast-flowing rail and the sedentary cityscape, the station signifies a moment of pause and transition, where one can experience architecture as both a(n) (infrastructural) fitting and a (spatial) flow. As one approaches the station, an immediate visual impact is made: the station is a beacon of the city, communicating to the tracks as well as the landscape around. It serves as a mediator of both traffic and informational flows.

The towers, on one hand, express a focal point that is in dialogue with the spire of the capitol, acknowledging the architectural heritage of the city; on the other hand, it amplifies and call to attention the significance of grade depression to the station itself. It is an expression of the connection to the unseen trackbed and platform area that is key to the functioning of the station as a connection to the extended landscape. The verticality counterpoints the planar axes on the ground in a stark moment, as if the tracks have been curled up.

Design of the plan emphasizes efficiency and clarity. When the visitor arrives at the main concourse from either side of the embankment, the stairs towards the platform area are directly in view. If one desires to wait or linger, spaces on the wings or the second floor provide rest and refreshment, seen as auxiliary to the main flow of circulation.

In contrast to the original station, the new design proposes opening up the platform area and claiming it as a semi-enclosed interior area, with a direct visual connection to the building proper. Much more daylight can be allowed in the space, while still maintaining a conditioned space with the use of a sleek, translucent canopy, supported by triangular trusses and steel columns extending directly from the trackbed.