A new $2.2bn (€1.9bn, £1.7bn) transport terminus in San Francisco is topped by a 5.4-acre park designed by landscape architect Peter Walker and includes an amphitheater, playground, restaurant and water features
The station will have over a dozen entry points and a free aerial tram to provide access from the street level to the rooftop park, which will be completed in September.
The 1.5m sq ft ( 140,000sq m) structure was designed by Pelli Clarke Architects. Spanning three blocks, the structure consists of five levels, with two below ground and an additional three above.
The Park is open for visitors from 6am to 8pm from November to April and 6am to 9pm from May to October.
PCPA Animation Loop from
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects on
Vimeo.
The project also includes public art installations, such as a fountain in the rooftop park by local artist Ned Kahn whose design features water jets that respond to the flow of buses on the deck below.
The site will act in the short-term future as a bus station and will eventually accommodate a railway station. It is expected to serve as many as 45m people per year.
The first phase of the project has been completed and includes the above-ground structure and a below-ground shell for the second phase, which is not expected to be completed until 2029 at the earliest.
The second phase includes plans for a six-platform train station underground and eventually the connection of the California High-Speed Rail project, which will connect Los Angeles and San Francisco.
