Bechtel Team: Kristen Wright, Michelle Montepara, Rhonda Stratton
2004-2005: In collaboration with Bechtel Infrastructure, this student team developed design options to increase sustainability of Metrorail stations in the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (DCMP). The team focused on one specific grade level stations proposed for the new Silver Line. Project objectives included safety, environmental risk, durability, maintainability, resource consumption, feasibility, and recyclability.
The team completed a full sustainability assessment of the current conceptual designs of the station. Using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification criteria as a guide, the team determined sustainable design alternatives for each of the six major spaces in the railway station: mezzanine, utility rooms, platform, pedestrian bridge, parking lots and bus bays, and parking garage. The team also pursued detailed design for the parking lot/bus bay space to incorporate eight sustainable design options, including porous concrete.
By implementing all the team’s recommendations, the station can apply to be LEED certified, with the possibility of reaching silver status. In addition, the team recommended strategies to highlight sustainability through the Metro’s Art in Transit Program that integrates local art into the station. The team’s final recommendations for increasing sustainability in their selected station can also be implemented in the design of other grade level stations.