A team comprising Dutch architect UNStudio, America’s HKS and Denmark’s Gehl, has won a design contract for a 15km-long, 15-station light railway in Austin, Texas.
Intended to open in 2033, it will run north-south, connecting the University of Texas, Downtown, East Riverside and South Congress.
Working with client Austin Transit Partnership, the team consulted locals to identify three design guidelines:
- Each station will be specifically tailored to its neighbourhood, with distinct public spaces;
- Surrounding areas will contain tree-lined streets and shaded public spaces;
- The line will be integrated with pedestrian, cycling and other transit networks.
The idea is to integrate the system with neighbourhoods, emphasising comfort, safety, navigation and accessibility.
UNStudio is the project’s “Cognitive Experience Designer”, meaning it will examine how users think and react to the system’s design.
“We do this by using findings and data that we gather through exhaustive investigations on site,” UNStudio founder Ben van Berkel said.
The first phase of the project involves linking major job centres, educational hubs, popular Austin destinations and building a new bridge over Lady Bird Lake.
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