REMEMBER THE PHRASE 'SHOVEL READY'? AT THE TIME THE STIMULUS MONEY BECAME AVAILABLE,
WILMINGTON STATION WAS SHOVEL READY. —William Holloway, AIA, LEED AP, principal in charge, Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects PC
travelers per year and must meet a certain number of air exchanges per hour ac- cording to ASHRAE 62.1. “Finding places to put louvers to introduce more out- side air was problematic,” Holloway recalls. “We took segments of ex- isting window openings on the non-public side of the building and converted those to louvers. Instead of having a double-hung window in an opening, we now have what appears to be a lou- ver in a window frame.” The louvers are red to match the façade’s brick and terracotta. In addition, the HVAC was
upgraded with new chillers and compressors and actu- ally relocated to an area that previously was a loading dock. Moving the chillers closer to the building minimizes energy loss as the system circulates. A major system upgrade
that presented additional chal- lenges was lighting. “We want- ed to be able to dynamically light the building inside and out, but we had to be very conscious
of the fact that the vibration of the trains going over the roof of the building eventually causes lamps to fall out of their sockets,” Holloway says. The team chose fluorescent fix- tures with uplight and downlight capa-
bilities that could withstand the rigors of the vibrations while saving energy. In a major effort by Amtrak, the station was one of the first in the country to be to-
tally retrofitted inside the concourse and on the tracks with new dynamic signage to meet ADA requirements. “On the platforms, we put in dynamic signage that is kind of like the run- ning ticker messages you see in Times Square,” Holloway explains. “The programmable signs
36 RETROFIT // May-June 2013
allow deaf passengers to read the notices and general announcements that are being made over the PA.” In the concourse, large flat-screen video monitors were installed.
Worldwide Acclaim Holloway’s interest in Wilmington station
spans many years. His Penn State design the- sis created a transportation center adjacent to Wilmington station that integrated buses and other forms of passage. He also narrowly missed the opportunity to work on Wilmington station’s first major renovation in the early ’80s. “I actually worked at the firm that did the 1982 renovations though I didn’t work on the proj- ect,” he recalls. It is said the best things come to those who
wait, and, for Holloway, that is certainly true when it comes to Wilmington station. After his firm completed the renovation/restoration, Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station was recog- nized with a prestigious 2011 Brunel Award, which is bestowed by the Watford Group, an international volunteer association consisting of railway architecture and design profession- als. More than 150 entries were received in 2011. Nineteen winners were chosen as the best in railway architecture, and Joseph R. Biden Jr. Rail- road Station was one of only two U.S. winners. “We were flattered to be recognized on an in-
ternational scale,” Holloway says. “We are local architects who just tried to do a good job with our treasured local gem of a building. It was quite an honor and humbling that the things we thought were important and the systems that were set up were recognized not only by Amtrak, but also by international railway ex- perts. This project is one of the highlights of my architectural career.”
Watch this story come to life as William Holloway, AIA, LEED AP, prin-
cipal in charge with Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects PC, highlights unique aspects of the historic train station’s retrofit.
retrofitTV.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84