Commendation Project name: Iron Horse Park Operations Control Center
Project overview: Safe control of railroads is as essential as air traffic control, but comparatively unseen and unknown. Railways require continuous human and digital oversight, traditionally performed by controllers at glowing monitors in dimly lit spaces.
This regional center for positive train control north of Boston is designed as a daylit work-smart-space within a protective iron shell. The resilient exterior repels environmental, physical, and network impacts while enclosing soft nurturing interiors. Daylight infused workspaces improve circadian rhythm and de-stress this hive of technology, promoting wellness among workers and, by extension, the safety of railroads.
Presenting a location challenge, the Iron Horse Park railyard, low-lying among wetlands, has served railroads since 1900, when the dead-level-grades were deemed ideal for assembling locomotives and trains. In the 1980s, EPA designated it a Superfund site. Now also in a FEMA floodplain, major rain events render it prone to overflows from the nearby Concord River.
The client’s goals and challenge were to: facilitate the mission of safe rail transit in a future-proof resilient building; promote wellness and mindfulness of 24×7 mission-critical staffs; and accomplish these goals with a sustainable, decontaminated 100-year facility on a rejuvenated railway legacy site
The designer’s responses and solutions addressed the following: Location. Following site abatement, create an elevated, vehicle-proof, accessible plinth of gabion walls with recycled railway relics Interior. Double-height dispatch theater and support spaces over sub-floor plenum available for electrical and data rewiring Overhead. Clerestory light scoops infuse interiors with seasonal and diurnal rhythms of daylight Enclosure. Durable, zero-maintenance weathering steel rainscreen, resonant with Iron Horse Park’s railway lore
Client: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Jury comments: The project design aligns beautifully with the project narratives. Many narratives speak of daylight, but this project exhibits an inherit alignment of aesthetic and functional delivery of daylighting for the building occupants. The raised floor and demountable partitions help with future flexibility, and the systems are designed for resiliency against potential environmental hazards. The natural light through the light scoops is well done. The project’s integration and Equitable communities is driven through the site remediation and the improved workspaces, which contribute to improved operations, which then impact 100K+ commuters.
Images/Photographer(s): Damianos Photography General Contractor: W.T. Rich Company Project or Construction Manager: John P. Doherty Civil Engineer: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Specifications: Taylor & Burns Architects Structural: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Mechanical: R.W. Sullivan Electrical: R.W. Sullivan Plumbing: R.W. Sullivan Acoustics: Taylor & Burns Architects Audio Visual: Ross & Baruzzini Interiors: Taylor & Burns Architects Landscaping: Crosby Schlessinger Smallridge Lighting: Lewis Lighting Design
