Transit Center landscape designers Rundell Ernstberger Associates (REA) were recently recognized at the Indiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (INASLA) Annual Meeting for their work on the Julia M. Carson Transit Center.
REA, a local landscape architecture firm, well-known for their design of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick, received a Professional Design Award which recognizes outstanding examples of landscape design. REA collaborated with Axis Architecture on the Transit Center to create a complementary building and site with an emphasis on transit rider experience.
The Transit Center features several sustainable components, including lightly-colored pavers and roofing tiles that help to cool the site and mitigate the heat island effect in the city, an extensive below-ground stormwater management component, and over 4,000 plants on-site – most of which are native to Indiana. The Transit Center is currently applying for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver status from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED certification awards are awarded based on points earned across several areas which address sustainability.
“The Transit Center brings a significant piece of design to the city and serves as a gateway to downtown Indianapolis,” Mike Terry, president & CEO of IndyGo, stated.
The Julia M. Carson Transit Center opened on June 26, 2016. It serves as a central location for buses, bus drivers, and bus riders and brings together several IndyGo services. Transit Center amenities include 19 covered bus bays with Real Time bus arrival information, public restrooms, an indoor waiting area, customer service and pass sales on site, and free Wifi internet.
