Transbay Transit Center
San Francisco, Calif.

Demolition is underway on the old Transbay Transit Center, built in 1939, which will be replaced by a new center designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects with Thornton Tomasetti as structural engineer. The five-story center will have office and retail space, a green-roof park, passenger circulation in the lower concourse and trains at the bottom level. It will centralize transportation for the region by connecting eight Bay Area counties and the state of California through 10 transit systems and future California High Speed Rail. The 5.4-acre rooftop park will absorb pollution from bus exhaust, treat and recycle water and provide a habitat for local wildlife. A light column will allow natural daylight to enter the building’s center. A massive geothermal heat exchange system will be built into the foundation. The project will seek LEED Gold accreditation. The building’s concrete and steel structure is designed to survive a maximum-strength earthquake without major structural damage or significant loss of function. The center is scheduled to be completed in 2017.