SEGD 2010 No. 27 - 56

Timeless Transit With its good bones and Massimo Vignelli-designed graphics, the D.C. Metro is considered a classic. New additions to the system balance respect with user-focused improvements. BY DEBORAH K. DIETSCH Designed by Chicago architects Harry Weese Associates, the coffered, concrete stations of Washington’s Metro rise to a level of grandeur rarely seen in U.S. transit systems. he design of Washington’s Metro certainly meets the expectations for a transit system in the U.S. capital. As majestic as any monument in the city, the vaulted subway stations rank among the greatest public infrastructure of the past century. Conceived by Chicago architects Harry Weese Associates, these lofty, column-free spaces have changed little since they opened in 1976, and the addition of new stops in recent years has both respected and improved upon the original vision for Metro. “People respond very positively to the spaciousness,” says Edward Riley, manager of architecture for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). “They feel safe because they can see everything within the open spaces of the stations.” From ﬂoors covered in hexagonal tiles to color-coded dots representing various lines, every detail is planned for ease of travel on the 106-mile-long system. Blinking lights at the granite edges of the subway platforms signal the arrival of trains in the station. Passengers disembark to walk past tall pylons bearing the names of the stations and ascend escalators to mezzanines before reaching the street under sleek canopies of steel and glass. Public respect for Metro’s well organized environments may be one reason why the prototypical station design has endured intact— and grafﬁti-free—with only recent updates to its wayﬁnding and signage systems. “It has held up well because it has been designed to be timeless rather than trendy,” says Massimo Vignelli, who collaborated with Weese on the design of the Metro stations in the late 1960s. T 56 segdDESIGN

SEGD 2010 No. 27

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEGD 2010 No. 27