One proposal aims to revitalize Penn Station in New York City, targeting better natural light orientation, visitor flow and accessibility. The plan, valued at about $6 billion, costs less than previous proposals and can be delivered more quickly.
The plan would transform the Penn Station block, both above and below ground. Managed as a public-private partnership (P3) by a global transportation development company, ASTM North America will also invest $1 billion in it. The design of the project comes from the firms Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) and HOK. If New York State and its partners approve the project, it could be delivered within six years.
The project team, which also includes HNTB, Lendlease, Severud, Halmar International and ME Engineers, engaged in a months-long process with local officials, community leaders and key stakeholders on the overall vision of the project an efficient, realistic project and cost-effective solution to reimagine Penn Station. ASTM worked with collaborating design architects to develop a design for Penn Station that builds on existing New York State plans for a new, light-filled, airy mid-block train concourse between on the 31stSt and 33rd streets and improves the connectivity of metro travelers from 7th avenue
The proposed design keeps Madison Square Garden (MSG) in place, creating two main train rooms accessed by a large 8.th Avenue entrance, with 16.8 m (55 ft) high ceilings, a middle lobby with 32 m (105 ft) high ceilings, and a series of windows and skylights that bring natural light to most of Penn users.
A stone-clad exterior is inspired by the Moynihan Train Hall, a neoclassical design, McKim, Mead & White, via 8th avenue The open-air terraces and a new outdoor square, together with the improvement of internal circulation, and the programmed spaces aim to prioritize the user experience, while enhancing the civic character and the public sphere of the neighborhood from the surroundings
Unlike previous plans, ASTM’s proposal does not require any development from the surrounding community to offset the costs of station improvements. It does not require the transfer of MSG, which will be financially responsible for the cladding of its facade. It also improves street safety along the entire block by moving MSG’s truckload off the street and into the building’s footprint.
The ASTM proposal will provide a single-level passenger compartment with additional improvements to 7th Avenue entrances at West 31stSt and West 32ndn.d streets New and improved entries will be fully accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with new elevators, escalators and stairs connecting the lobby directly to the street. The number of improved and increased stairs, escalators and elevators will increase from 91 items to 120 items, creating a 30 percent reduction in platform departure times and improving platform accessibility for all 21 tracks. This improvement in the platform’s vertical circulation will allow for a safer and easier passenger exit experience. As a result, improved platform departures will help increase passenger traffic, accommodating increased capacity and more frequent trains that result from the Gateway Program and other transit investments.
Incorporating the new entrance where the former Hulu Theater is currently located, the new design will allow 70 percent of passengers to exit the train platform into a day-lit area. It will significantly improve commuter flow throughout the station with increased loading and unloading capacity at platform level. This inclusive and sustainable design of the dual train hall will help Penn Station adapt to demographic and market changes.
The $6 billion price tag takes into account all aspects included in the proposal, from ownership, acquisition, construction, financing to the long-term relationship between all stakeholders at the site, including Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), NJ Transit and MSG.
“PAU is honored to collaborate with HOK and ASTM to develop the civic design vision for Penn Station, an effort that will provide commuters and New Yorkers with a greatly enhanced travel experience in our post-pandemic world” , says the founder and creator of PAU. director, Vishaan Chakrabarti. “Our proposal envisions two main train halls: an elevated Eighth Avenue entrance and a light-filled half-block hall, which together will restore the civic gravity that has been absent since the 1963 demolition of the original building by McKim, Mead & White Our new stone facade looks at and reinterprets McKim’s masonry colonnade through 8th Avenue at Moynihan Station: Creating a large open-air public hall that engages the historic with the contemporary, while prioritizing light and air, an enhanced public realm, a great mix of civic uses and rail compatibility planned and the growth of the neighborhood. “
