Denver Union Station

Client Continuum Partners Llc
Expertise Structural Engineering, Transportation, Urban Design + Planning
Location Denver, Colorado, United States

By converting 20 acres of former rail yards into a major regional transportation center, the city's old train hall and its surroundings have been given new life through a 21st-century vision for transit-oriented development.

Project Facts

Status Construction Complete
Completion Year 2014
Size Site Area: 19.50 acres Building Height: 70 feet Number of Stories: 3
Transit Mode Bikes, Bus, Heavy Rail, Light Rail, Taxis/Rideshare
Sustainability Certifications

LEED BD+C NC (New Construction) Certified LEED BD+C NC (New Construction) Gold
Collaborators

Hargreaves Associates DMJM Harris AECOM Clanton & Associates Iron Horse Architects Ron Straka, FAIA Tamara Kudrycki Design WSP Kiewit

Project Facts

Status Construction Complete
Completion Year 2014
Size Site Area: 19.50 acres Building Height: 70 feet Number of Stories: 3
Transit Mode Bikes, Bus, Heavy Rail, Light Rail, Taxis/Rideshare
Sustainability Certifications

LEED BD+C NC (New Construction) Certified LEED BD+C NC (New Construction) Gold
Collaborators

Hargreaves Associates DMJM Harris AECOM Clanton & Associates Iron Horse Architects Ron Straka, FAIA Tamara Kudrycki Design WSP Kiewit

A transit hub for the 21^st century

The focal point of the reimagined Denver Union Station is a new open-air train hall, which sits directly behind the historic Beaux-Arts-style station building. The train hall’s iconic, swooping structure adopts the station’s axis of symmetry while creating a dynamic contrast between the old and the new. A bustling, two-block-long pedestrian promenade links the train hall to the SOM-designed light rail terminal, while an enhanced network of pedestrian and public spaces within and around the site seamlessly integrates the hub into the surrounding neighborhoods.

Underground, a 22-gate bus concourse services 16 regional, express, and local bus routes. The terminal, measuring 980 feet in length, serves a dual purpose as a pedestrian concourse that connects the constellation of transportation programs distributed across the site. Vivid colors and natural lighting help passengers orient themselves while handsome terrazzo floors and sparkling yellow glass tilework elevate the ambience of terminal beyond the often-unimaginative bus depot experience. A series of skylights and glass pavilions flood the hall with daylight, infusing the station with a sense of motion and spaciousness.

One of the largest projects of its kind in the United States, the redevelopment of the former rail yards at Denver Union Station is a case study of the power of transit-oriented urban design. This substantial public investment has catalyzed an unprecedented wave of private-sector activity. Sensitive to its historic location, but fundamentally forward looking in its technical sophistication and city-building spirit, Denver Union Station sets the standard for 21st-century intermodal hubs.

Slide 1 of 7, Underground, a 22-gate bus concourse services 16 regional, express, and local bus routes. The terminal, measuring 980 feet in length, serves a dual purpose as a pedestrian concourse that connects the constellation of transportation programs distributed across the site. Vivid colors and natural lighting help passengers orient themselves while handsome terrazzo floors and sparkling yellow glass tilework elevate the ambience of terminal beyond the often-unimaginative bus depot experience. A series of skylights and glass pavilions flood the hall with daylight, infusing the station with a sense of motion and spaciousness. One of the largest projects of its kind in the United States, the redevelopment of the former rail yards at Denver Union Station is a case study of the power of transit-oriented urban design. This substantial public investment has catalyzed an unprecedented wave of private-sector activity. Sensitive to its historic location, but fundamentally forward looking in its technical sophistication and city-building spirit, Denver Union Station sets the standard for 21st-century intermodal hubs.

Slide 2 of 7, Underground, a 22-gate bus concourse services 16 regional, express, and local bus routes. The terminal, measuring 980 feet in length, serves a dual purpose as a pedestrian concourse that connects the constellation of transportation programs distributed across the site. Vivid colors and natural lighting help passengers orient themselves while handsome terrazzo floors and sparkling yellow glass tilework elevate the ambience of terminal beyond the often-unimaginative bus depot experience. A series of skylights and glass pavilions flood the hall with daylight, infusing the station with a sense of motion and spaciousness. One of the largest projects of its kind in the United States, the redevelopment of the former rail yards at Denver Union Station is a case study of the power of transit-oriented urban design. This substantial public investment has catalyzed an unprecedented wave of private-sector activity. Sensitive to its historic location, but fundamentally forward looking in its technical sophistication and city-building spirit, Denver Union Station sets the standard for 21st-century intermodal hubs.

Slide 3 of 7, Underground, a 22-gate bus concourse services 16 regional, express, and local bus routes. The terminal, measuring 980 feet in length, serves a dual purpose as a pedestrian concourse that connects the constellation of transportation programs distributed across the site. Vivid colors and natural lighting help passengers orient themselves while handsome terrazzo floors and sparkling yellow glass tilework elevate the ambience of terminal beyond the often-unimaginative bus depot experience. A series of skylights and glass pavilions flood the hall with daylight, infusing the station with a sense of motion and spaciousness. One of the largest projects of its kind in the United States, the redevelopment of the former rail yards at Denver Union Station is a case study of the power of transit-oriented urban design. This substantial public investment has catalyzed an unprecedented wave of private-sector activity. Sensitive to its historic location, but fundamentally forward looking in its technical sophistication and city-building spirit, Denver Union Station sets the standard for 21st-century intermodal hubs.

Structural innovation as a symbol

To give a clear identity to the station, SOM’s structural engineers and architects worked together to develop a consistent visual language through the use of exposed, painted structural steel. The team collaborated on the design several steel and fabric pavilions, including the central Train Hall. This iconic structure was conceived as an efficient, cost-effective, and formally expressive means of clear-spanning 180 feet across multiple railway tracks.

The primary structural system for the train hall consists of 11 steel arch-trusses that support a tensioned PTFE fabric. These trusses span nearly 180 feet from a single large-diameter pin connection atop 18-foot-tall arched column supports. Each truss is stabilized by bracing struts. At the center of the train hall, the arch-trusses are replaced by cantilevered trusses, opening the canopy to the sky. In profile, the canopy rises 70 feet at either end and descends in a dynamic sweep to 22 feet at the center—a gesture that protects the passenger platforms below while providing views of the historic station.