2016 Archive : North County Transfer Station

Project Details

Fabric 1

Duraskin B 18089
Producer: Verseidag-Indutex GmbH

Engineer Company 1
Span Systems Inc.

Fabrication Company
Span Systems Inc.

Project Manager Company
C. Rallo Construction

Installation Company
Span Systems Inc.

Please describe the project specifications

The North County Transfer Center features two 280-foot-long PTFE tensile fabric bus passenger shelters. Each has space for up to four buses at a time to pick up and drop off passengers. Each shelter complex has five connected sections, each section working as a separate, graduated barrel vault shape.
The shape is provided by high, intermediate and low arches at each section. The fabric roof at each section ends at the highest arch whose front is partially covered with a flat vertical fabric element to give each section the suggestion of a "Conestoga" wagon of the early pioneers of the west.

What was the purpose of this project? What did the client request?

The purpose of the project was to provide a functional and attractive shelter structure for bus passengers. By the use of tensile fabric the design / build team was able to deliver an efficient, practical, structurally dynamic bus shelter. It has a great deal of visual interest. It is evocative of the history of St. Louis, yet also functional at a relatively low cost per square foot of covered area.

What is unique or complex about the project?

Unique to this structure and difficult to accomplish is the transition of each fabric section from convex barrel vault at the high part of the roof to a concave "scoop" at the low part which allows water to drain from that part of the roof into the following column. This transition was a design challenge to prevent any "flat" spots in the fabric which would allow ponding to occur.
The front panels were a difficult design and installation component. For the roof fabric to maintain the proper pre-stress and shape the front panel had to be fabricated and installed separately. It was a challenge to achieve sufficient pre-stress to prevent fabric wrinkles during the installation of such small and eccentrically shaped fabric panels.

What were the results of the project?

The local bus-riding community and St. Louis Metro Transportation have been pleased with the results. The bus station opened for passengers in March of this year and the reviews have been good. It is felt this is a terrific example of a project that delivered solid functionality, strong aesthetic and visual quality, a relevant local historical connection and good economic value.

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