Transbay Transit Center

Transbay Transit Center in Downtown San Francisco will become the Grand Central of the West Coast.
Several rail and bus platforms and shops are spread over 5 floors, topped by a 5.4 acre public landscaped park. Adjacent to the Station there is the 80-story Transbay Tower. At its base lies Mission Square, sheltered under a flowing glass canopy that forms the ceremonial entrance to the Transit Center. The Transit Center consists of ductile moment frames in the transverse direction and of eccentric braced frames with ‘link elements’ in the longitudinal direction for the case of seismic shaking. The exterior undulating glass wall responds to the buildings robust concrete-and-steel structural system and creates a welcoming presence on the street. The geometry of the double curved grid shell was designed by using a special geometrical procedure to create a quadrangular grid with flat meshes.