We approached the rationalization of movement as an opportunity to incorporate the urban design principles evident in Burnham’s 1909 plan for Chicago into our design for Union Station 2020. To accomplish this, we internalized urban planning principles to the interior of the architectural object through the conception of a super-lobby. Burnham’s promenades and boulevards, essentially civic spaces that were not privatized, inspired the super-lobby model of linking public programs located outside the context of commercial institutions while simultaneously supporting commerce. To that end, the super-lobby weaves throughout the structure similar to the boulevards and promenades of Burnham’s urban plans. In our Union Station 2020, the super-lobby is bound to the object in the service of commercial institutions, but also serves a civic purpose.
[Project designed with James Lowder]