Thesis-Sustainable Transportation Strategies

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING KASHMERE GATE, NEW DELHI

G.G.S.I.P.U

THESIS REPORT SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT STRATEGIES

Under the guidance of

PROF. VIJAY MATANGE

Submitted by

HIMANSHU SALUJA 0041731605 / B.ARCH

Acknowledgement

The journey has been long and there have been numerous co-pilots. I’d like to thank all of them. First of all I would like to express my indebtedness towards my computer and the world wide web, which stood by me at each and every second of my academic semester and after him, my parents and friends who have been instrumental in shaping me as I am.

I’d like to thank Prof. Vijay Matange, my guide, who was persistent, patient and considerate towards my idea and for planting all the seeds in my mind, directly or indirectly.

I would also like to thank our coordinator Prof. Ashok Lal for his consistent guidance and update of the study, and for his immense support and consistent guidance that was never short of encouragement whenever it was needed the most.

I’d like to thank Priyanshu Jain, Sugeet Grover, Vishakha Varshney, and Divya Makhijani who have been constantly the source of new ideas and who gave me invaluable inputs. And it would not have been possible without USAP and its walls and its memories.

And a special thanks to Google.

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING KASHMERE GATE Delhi

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT STRATEGIES

Certificate of Approval The following study is hereby approved as a creditable work, carried out and presented in a manner sufficiently satisfactory to warrant its acceptance.

It is to be understood that by this approval, the undersigned do not necessarily endorse or approve any statement made, opinion expressed or conclusions drawn therein, but approve the study only for the purpose for which it is submitted and satisfies itself as to the requirements laid down by the committee.

Name of Student

Himanshu Saluja

Name of the Guide

Vijay Matange

Contents:

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Bibliography

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Annexure

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Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: The Site Chapter 3: Urban Design Proposal Chapter 4: Some Case Studies Chapter 5: Contemplating the transport hub Chapter 6: Final Design

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Contents

Preface

Saluja│2 Nearly 14 million people live in New Delhi alone and the population is still on the rise. 1 Millions go to work every day within the city, thousands of trucks bring supplies to the city, and trainloads of vegetables from all over the country are brought in to support the ever growing populace of Delhi. One can imagine the strain on infrastructure.

Fig 0.1: Comparison of populations and densities

With such high levels of populations, transportation is vital to the operation of the city. The city itself is horizontally spread such that infrastructure spreads too thin in just trying to create a barebones framework of transport and basic services. Spreading over such a huge area is rarely justified but these are bare minimum services and thus the tax payer pays through the nose for them. Delhi is expanding. Millions more will migrate to Delhi in less than a decade. 2 We need to find space and spread the city further, but how? The infrastructure is already feeble

1

National capital Territory occupies an area of 1,483 sq km and has a population of nearly 14 million with the population of New Delhi alone exploding to 11,680,000. Delhi is considered to be the second largest metropolitan city next to Mumbai with approximately 1,38,50,507 people dwelling in New Delhi according to Census 2001. 2 According to Census 2001, the population of New Delhi together with Delhi as a whole has ascended to 46.3% in 1991-2001. The up rise in the population of New Delhi is mainly due to the migration of people to the capital, expected to rise to 40% by 2021.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Preface

Saluja│3 as it is. It already takes more than an hour just to travel across. How much farther can we expand? Our transportation network poses problems. The culprit here is not just congestion although it remains to be the most prominent. There are problems where destinations prove so far away yet within the city. Children don’t play outside anymore, failing to identify with the neighborhood flooded with cars. Pollution increases day by day degrading the quality of life. Pedestrians and cyclists are a dying breed. The city only aims to address the problem of congestion by building better and wider roads, but this too doesn’t last long as better roads just induce more demand and more cars pile up eventually clogging the same. Thus, the only solution the city came up with is just a short term one. It seems imperative that we need a newer city model which fulfills these requirements and also creates a transport infrastructure. This ambition fuels the thesis, towards a better and more responsible urban and architectural design. An opportunity has arisen near Dwarka and Bijwasan to be the next mini-Gurgaon which will be the objective of this thesis. This thesis will be conducted in two phases. The first phase spread over the first three chapters will detail out the urban development plan needed to chalk out the city-town to its potential whereas the second phase covered within the next three chapters culminates in the architectural design of a multi-modal transport hub responsible for catalyzing development within the area. The latter cannot continue without planning the former as a multi-modal hub plays a pivoting role in the growth of the city and must be taken first into account at an urban scale. This thesis isn’t an attempt to create a model, ideal or prototype city to be replicated like a module nor does it attempt to instruct the methodology of planning such. It is merely an attempt to provide resolution to some design strategies, at both urban and the architectural level.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Preface

Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 1

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The city as a model of people to share resources has been a model that is both sustainable and robust. The traditional model of the city has always been one of very high densities of people who share common resources as a means to be sustainable. Value of sustainability was evident in a society where instant transportation of resources wasn’t feasible. Thus, the population cut down on its transportation footprint. Goods were locally produced and consumed unlike today’s global economy. Infrastructure too was saved upon as it did not seem to spread in too big an area when the community itself had a small footprint. Such cities have always, within their design strategy, imbibed strong guidelines of decentralized but dense resource planning, effective for tackling larger urban pressures it experiences as it grows, much due to the fact that  People were not dependent on any major nodes that may then suffocate due to high urban pressures. This suffocation was seen right after the MCD sealing drive when everyone rushed to their nearest nodes creating huge traffic jams and unprecedented demands on infrastructure.  Most trips were very small as most people either worked from their homes or lived near their workplaces. Such a model can be generated by the high density mixed land use these people acquired.  Due to the unavailability of motorized vehicles, most of the city was pedestrian friendly and within walking distances. Such high densities however, create an immense load on infrastructure if not properly designed for. Yet, demands were to generate a sound infrastructure supporting high densities of population in only a small area, resulting in lower resources used per capita and at a lesser cost per person. Modern cities, on the other hand, require more than just this infrastructure. People have come to expect certain services as basic rights of residents. Also the city seems to have grown too big for it to sustain itself without mechanized transport. So the above discussed strategies might be very efficient but a modern city still needs much more. Since this thesis is essentially a discussion on transport planning, one very important aspect of the modern city must be taken into account; Modern cities are viable only when its transportation demands are met.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Introduction

Chapter 1

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Case Study: New York New York has been one of the most successful cities in the world known not only for its thriving economy but also a great place to live and a major tourist destination. The population of the city is estimated at about 19 million people living and working in an area of about 790 square kilometers. 3 That is about 240 people living per hectare of land. Not only is it one of the densest cities in the US but also one of the wealthiest. This city compares well to the traditional model of the city and expands to it. New York enjoys certain unique privileges due to such planning.

3

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Tax Base Utilization: FARs in New York easily reaches 10 times the area given for development. This high population density ensures that the city earns more from a given patch of land as compared to the similar land with lower population densities and thus enables them to provide much more infrastructures in a cost-effective manner.

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Higher Ridership: Higher densities also allow for higher ridership and footfalls thus ensuring profitability and better usage, and at the same time making the transport infrastructure more and more accessible to a larger number of people.

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Public Transport: New York has developed an array of options for transportation of people and goods all within the public domain. They have one of the largest subway systems in the world interwoven with the routes of an efficient bus system. Logistics are handled by trucks and via the port, well regulated by the city for maximum efficiency. The internal streets of the city are modeled for pedestrianism and cyclists are also encouraged by virtue of the street design.

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Discouraging private vehicle ownership: New York charges a hefty amount on parking spaces, which discourages the use of private cars as the general public is unable to afford the parking rents. This strategy works in conjunction with making the city infrastructure safer for the cyclist and pedestrian to support feasible public transport facilities which meet expectations.

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Forays towards resource independence: Locally grown fruit and vegetable farming in the vicinity of the city are subsidized and encouraged to reduce dependence and thus reducing imports. The city is also looking for similar forays to reduce their dependence on a variety of other resources such as energy.

Source: US Census Bureau, Population Division

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Introduction

Chapter 1

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Case Study: London The city of London has a long and complex history that stretches back for about 2000 years. It was one of the first in the world to witness the after-effects of the industrial revolution which soon relinquished any limitations available resources and mobility exercised on its population and the horizontal spread of the city. The city itself was however based on a centralized planning strategy which soon became redundant once population started growing to the immense proportions that threatened London to come to a standstill. The solution to their problem was two-fold.  Decentralization: Their first solution was based loosely on how a traditional city handled such problems. The city created satellite towns in counties around that of London. But these were not ordinary suburbs but fully fledged townships each deliberately kept independent of London in terms of education, employment opportunities, recreation and of course living. 

Public Transport: The second solution envisaged was that of bringing public transport into the domain of the city and regulate and even restrict usage of private vehicles through policies such as fee zones. The world’s first subway system was introduced and mixed land use was regulated. Such was aimed at bringing pedestrianism and planned mobility within the city with the object of a pedestrian identifying with the city.

The results of their efforts are quite evident from the picture of London we see today. London has grown to be a fitting city and as a symbol of Britain’s economic prowess.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Introduction

Chapter 1

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These case studies confirm the notion that almost every city built before the introduction of the car was a high density city where people would live near work and the streets were safe enough to be walked upon without being under constant threat of being trampled by a car. The sustainable nature of civilization that we soon forgot after our first tryst with industrialization and globalization has to be brought back into the balance. We face yet another time where judicious utilization of resources holds high merit. It is also quite self-explanatory that these cities had to accommodate their growing populations not by horizontal nodal development such as Delhi, rather a decentralized vision of high density urban fabric which pays for its own infrastructure quite efficiently and the high amount of people ensure that the infrastructure is well within the budget and highly justified. However, the infrastructure that caters now to millions of people had to be built before there were those millions of people to begin with. In other words, development preceding demands at such a large scale so as to induce demand at particular junctions within the timeline of the city, effectively shaping how the city grows. Opportunities to plan ahead and induce aforesaid demand on infrastructure is what should drive a city’s planning department although such are few and in between. One such rare opportunity has been brought to focus in this thesis.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Introduction

Chapter 2

The Site

Chapter 2

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The Promised Land seems to spread from an urban village of Bijwasan to Dwarka’s periphery. Thus it sees high contrasts in the lifestyles of their respective residents. This majorly residential area is also adjacent to the IGI airport although the airport refuses to interact with the area directly. We see a variety of widely different characteristics of these places because of their land uses. On one hand we have Bijwasan which is Lal Dora land. It houses a sleepy settlement not quite familiar with the effects and demands of urban life. It is truly a mixed land use community where people live near their workplaces and pedestrianism is practiced encouragingly. The settlement seems least dependent on Delhi for most employment or recreational opportunities. In contrast, Dwarka is majorly residential zoned by the MCD and thus highly dependent on Delhi for most resources or employment opportunities. Thus far, most of it is connected by roads and Delhi Metro but the model forces people to travel large distances to accommodate their needs. The site also boasts of large tracts of agricultural land sprinkled with some rural settlements within the region and is strategically placed between the NH-8 and Najafgarh Expressway (under construction) This situation is now expected to change by some recent proposals by the government where infrastructure to support an even larger number of people than we witness today. Metro lines need to expand their web of transport services as they propose two lines, the first one being the airport express line proceeding to Gurgaon and the second one being the Dwarka line to continue westward to the convention centre. Both are proposed as underground routes. They’ll meet at a singular station next to the airport, an interchange if you may call it that. The second foray seems to be of the Railways, which have, in an attempt to reduce pressures on New Delhi Railway Station, proposed a major railway station along the Northern Railway lines cutting through this area. Complementing these two proposals, planning is underway for an ISBT for the area which also is to be built within this site. Tracking down these proposals on a map, one can argue that they are far too close not to be integrated into a single hub which would further facilitate people and aid in using and changing different modes of public transportation thus making it more convenient to use. But the government agencies are far too timid to actually step on each other’s site and collaborate on a project of such a large scale. There should also be design initiatives to integrate such a project to the transport infrastructure and public transport of the whole region to maximize output from the investment. Sustainable Transport Strategies

The Site

Chapter 2

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As of now, the government’s motive appears not to relieve these people but rather to help Delhi ease its urban pressures. Nonetheless, it is an opportunity we just cannot let go. It is the opportunity in this corner of the city for a planned initiative for development before demand model. It is apparent what such a project, even if done in the piecemeal manner our government tries, will affect the urban landscape of this part of the city like never before. The induced demands in such a scale will catalyze development in the region and bring in more and more people in this region. Right now, no efforts are going on to consolidate and use the area to its potential. There is no indication that the government will change land use of the region to accommodate the speedy development of the region. Government will term all developments here as illegal and refuse to regulate, resulting in ad-hoc development practices.

Fig 2.1: Proposals too disjointed at the time being

Kalkaji is a prime example where government refused (or ignored) the need for commercial activity in the area believing that Nehru Place will suffice. C ommercial areas developed illegally and later they had to be given a legal commercial status because of the overwhelming demand of such a demand. But due to the unregulated growth in Kalkaji, the area barely functions properly due to large pressures on its old

Sustainable Transport Strategies

The Site

Chapter 2

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infrastructure. UTEPEC has tried in various programs to develop newer infrastructure, but it just doesn’t seem plausible after development. Thus there is an imminent need to develop infrastructure in the area prior to loading it with development.

Fig 2.2: Road infrastructure too weak to support such a development

Another very important demand posed by the area is to connect it via proper high speed linkages to Delhi, Gurgaon and Dwarka. The present conditions are pretty strained by themselves and just cannot sustain further development. A design proposal will be sought in the next chapter which will be derived from the discussion in the Chapter 1 and will include local solutions talked about in this chapter. Such a city model will then accommodate the multi-modal transport hub.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

The Site

Chapter 2

Saluja│13

NH-8

Airport

Dwarka

Bijwasan Proposed site

Fig 2.3: Existing Site

Sustainable Transport Strategies

The Site

Chapter 3

Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3

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The urban design proposal aims at making the region suitable and prepared for the multi-modal transport hub proposed on the site and the development which will inevitably follow. The concepts of flexibility and inclusivity will be the prime focus of the design which will follow the framework set by the previous chapters. The very first intervention will be to connect the site via high speed road links to Gurgaon, Dwarka and Delhi. Such will enable the transport of people and logistics without restrictions to and about the hub and also make this a satellite town well connected with the city. Such will be accomplished with the help of an overlapping freeway and expressway system the first of which will connect NH-8 to the Najafgarh Expressway. Segregation of traffic within lanes will be carried out based not on the type of transport but rather the speed of the vehicle to ensure that slower vehicles do not intrude upon the fast moving lanes to slow down traffic. Such a segregation would also ensure local and through traffic be kept along the same road but in different lanes.

Fig 3.1: Proposed freeways and Expressways

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3

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Providing a framework of roads leading up to the freeway system would help in dividing various sectors. Here the constraints will be that of distance travelled on foot. Thus, no sector will be allowed to grow more than 500 meters wide, ensuring that a major road is available at every 250 meters of walking. Enabling this pedestrianism would also boost public transport’s demand and lower the number of vehicles on local roads.

Fig 3.2: Pedestrian sectors with room for expansion of villages

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3

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A dedicated one-way link will be sought to the transport hub to segregate its usage and facilitate flexibility when in need for up-gradation in the future. Again, to induce availability of public transport, some major roads will be converted to special BRT lanes of a right of way of 65 meters. However, these would be kept parallel to our system of freeways and expressways such that they would be used by choice and not by compulsion. This will also drive traffic out of these BRT lanes making it safer yet again for pedestrians and cyclists. These major roads will however provide room for the urban villages within this region to expand if needed.

Fig 3.3: Introduction of BRT and dedicated one way link

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3

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Following this hierarchy of roads, we will reach down to the very blocks via local roads. These blocks, kept apart by aforesaid local roads have been kept at a flexible grid size of 100 by 125 meters, a grid size derived by analyzing various grids of New York and London among other major cities and are quite capable of sustaining low rise-high density developments.

Fig 3.4: Introduction of grid and green corridors

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3

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This thesis also proposes letting go of the earlier mindset of segregated zoning in a plan and introduce if we can, vertical zoning. Traditional zoning is disbanded within this proposal and aforementioned blocks will be regulated such that all blocks will be termed as mixed land use but some will bear a bigger commercial versus residential ratio that the rest. The concept evolves on existing mixed land usage and divides it further to highly commercial, intermediary commercial and sparsely commercial mixed land use. Lastly, the initiative is to introduce green corridors to connect various villages spread within the area in a bid to preserve their social ties among each other and make pedestrianism and cycling from one village to the other plausible.

Fig 3.5: Introduction of zoning

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 3

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NH-8

Unified Transport Hub Dwarka

Bijwasan

Fig 3.5: Proposed Plan

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Urban Design Proposal

Chapter 4

Some case-studies

Chapter 4

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This chapter discusses the various design strategies to be used for the creation and subsequent construction of a multi-modal transport hub, the purpose of which shall be met through various case studies. Case Study: Zurich Airport, Switzerland (Vertical Separation) For over 30 years, Zurich Airport has boasted integration of air travel with the European rail network, by the location beneath the landside complex of the airport of a through rail station. One step to enhance the modal interchange experience was the experimental introduction in the late 1970s of baggage trolleys that could be safely

Fig 4.1: Zurich Airport: diagram of terminals based on Unique Airport website.

taken on the escalators delving to the subterranean rail station. Measured against the airport’s passenger handling capacity 30 years ago of 6 million passengers per year, its Sustainable Transport Strategies

Some Case Studies

Chapter 4

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accessibility by rail was exceptional. The airport now handles well over 20 million passengers per year. Trains make the 10-minute trip to Zurich main station every 10 minutes. Public transport is used by 52% of passengers and 20% of airport employees. New piers in 1975, 1985 and 2003 have increased capacity, which is expected to reach 35 million by 2010 4. A study by Hamburg-Harburg Technical University 5 in 2003 focused on the landside accessibility of Zurich Airport, demonstrating how rail service replaces feeder flights, extends the catchment area, relieves traffic on surrounding roads and increases reliability of access time. Noting the present modal split of 50% by public transport, not only an aim but a condition of the operation of the airport, the study makes specific recommendations to enhance rail accessibility. This is measured by increasing the population within one hour from approximately 1.7 million as at present to 3 million or even 4 million by 2020 if Zurich and Euro Airport (Basel-Mulhouse) are linked by highspeed train.

4

Arnet, O. and Brunner, A. (2002). Swiss bliss. Passenger Terminal World Annual Technology Showcase Issue 5 Wagner, T. (2003). Landside Accessibility Report. European Centre of Transport and Logistics, TU Hamburg-Harburg

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Some Case Studies

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Case Study: Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport, France (Contiguity) This airport has developed over a period of 30 years since the first terminal opened. The famous hollow-drum-shaped terminal is now quite separate from the parts of Terminal 2. Terminal 2 comprises six modular terminals built over a period of over 20 years. The first four are Terminals 2A to 2D, each with approximately six contact gates, and these were followed by the contiguous railway station surmounted by a hotel. The rail tracks at low level intersect the axis of the terminal buildings. Two more terminals, numbered 2E and 2F, have been developed beyond the rail station.

Fig 4.2: Terminal 1 aerial view, inflexible but intended to multiply (Courtesy of Aeroports de Paris).

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Some Case Studies

Chapter 4

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Case Study: Lyon St Exupéry Airport, France (Linked adjacent via a moving walkway) This airport has developed much (and been renamed in 2000 after the writer and aviator to commemorate the centenary of his birth, having previously been called Lyon Satolas) since opening in 1975. The airport is operated, like all provincial airports in France, by the local Chamber of Commerce as concessionaire in contract with the French government. The original terminals were designed by Guillaume Gillet with a curved plan shape, the smaller as the Terminal National and the larger as the Terminal International. Then the TGV station was added in the early 1990s, connected to the terminals by moving walkways. The TGV station provides 18 high-speed trains per day, half serving Paris within 110 minutes. The most recent project is the complete remodeling and extension of Terminal 2, formerly the domestic terminal, to take all traffic of Groupe Air France. This work was completed in 2003, and rounded off a program to raise the airport’s annual capacity from 4 million to 8 million passengers per year.

Fig 4.3: Lyon St Exupéry Airport: aerial photomontage showing two terminals and TGV station (Courtesy of CRB Architectes and Scott Brownrigg Ltd).

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Some Case Studies

Chapter 4

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Case Study: Luton Airport, UK (Linked Remote) Interchange – national railway station linked to terminal building by 2 km shuttle bus route with potential for people-mover. The airport now handles 5.5 million scheduled flight passengers per year (2002 figure) and this is attributable to the advent of ‘no-frills’ airline easyJet in 1995. Prior to this, the throughput of scheduled traffic was 10% of the 2002 figure. 6 Facilities were improved in 1999 with the opening of the new Departures Terminal illustrated in Figure 6.110, together with the new eastern apron. Rail access has been possible since 2001 with the construction of Luton Parkway Station on the main line from St Pancras to the Midlands and served by Thameslink trains running through London from north to south; a 2-kilometre bus ride takes passengers from rail station to airport terminal.

Fig 4.4: Luton Airport: map linking station and airport.

6

London-luton.co.uk/pdf/download website (2003). Surface access strategy, July

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Some Case Studies

Chapter 5

Contemplating the Transport hub

Chapter 5

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These studies put in concrete terms what a transport hub’s design criterion should be. Complementing them with local demands and municipal regulations would give a form to any vague ideas I may have had before. To enumerate: Linearity All transportation mechanisms discussed and studied were always built parallel to the station, i.e. railway platforms will always be put up parallel to the railway line and bus stations will always be parallel to the road. On a corollary note, if all transport mechanisms are aligned, then the resultant woul d be highly efficient by sharing the most surface area with the mechanisms in question. Thus, a rudimentary form of planning emerges where all mechanisms are to be aligned parallel to each other with the common areas to be shared.

Fig 5.1: Linearit y of Transpo rt Mechan isms

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Vertical separation An excellent concept stating that when a common area has to be shared, why only bother with just two dimensions. Vertical separation allows maximum utilization of the common area or the concourse as it may be called henceforth by utilizing more of its surface area. Another valid point in our conjecture of the transport hub as it is realized that even the mechanisms themselves are not laid flat on the ground, rather they could be above or below ground as well (like a metro).

Fig 5.2: Vertical Seperati on and Overlap s

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Contemplating the Transport Hub

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Contiguity, flexibility and modularity The city grows over time, and so arises the need for infrastructure to do the same. It must cope up with demands by making plans for the future and acting upon them in due time. But not all future predictions come true, thus we need to imbibe some flexibility in our designs to cater to this uncertainty. When used in this particular design, it means that typical modules like that of parking are standardized and meant to be repeated as demands grow for them. The growth, however, could be vertical, i.e. adding new floors to the resource, or horizontal i.e. adding newer modules horizontally sitting next to each other. This could also help the entire terminal grow if need for it arises by standardizing most functions. Added advantages of such design strategies would be that of economical efficiencies and time saved during construction.

Fig 5.3: Modularity

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Linked Remote This advantage is present within the site itself. One of the metro routes is the Airport Expressway slated for completion soon, thus linking the terminal, its railway station, and its ISBT to the airport although indirectly. With no design intervention required for the same, it still has to be kept in mind that the terminal now has to cater to international travelers too, thus raising the bar. Public Transportation The main aim of this terminal is to develop and maintain the option of public transportation as a viable one. Thus, we need another bus terminal, unlike that of the ISBT to cater to the local populace. This justified addition to the design criterion is not present within the list of proposals the government wishes to attain as they are not yet thinking of integration of the local population within the terminal’s working. Transparency and way-finding The resultant terminal will no doubt be one of much larger magnitude than just a railway station, just a metro terminal or just an ISBT. Such scales make it very easy for passengers to lose their way or become confused as to the direction of their destination. The priority we gave to a linear configuration of terminals is also adopted in many cases as a strategy for proper way-finding. Coupling it with transparency allows travelers to easily view their destination and move accordingly. In this case, if the traveler can see where the bus terminal is, he shall not need to waste time looking for a map of the terminal or bother asking for directions.

Fig 5.4: Transp arency and Sustainable Transport Strategies wayfin ding

Contemplating the Transport Hub

Chapter 5

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Parking Notable solutions are of two types, arising from chronological patterns of development. Where car parks came before public transport linkages, the car park adjacent to the terminal becomes a prime location for the ground transport interface, as at airports like Manchester and Chicago. Where the design and construction of the interchange is more recent, as at Ashford, car parking structures have been an integral part of the interchange. We already have discussed parking to be a modular, but terminals require two very different types of parking as well; the short term and the long term variety. Such strategies when imbibed within the design of the car park reduce strains afterwards.

Fig 5.5: Parking Layout

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Contemplating the Transport Hub

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Another strategy we discussed was that of flexibility. In car parking, terminals can never predict the actual load on parking in the future. Being modular, it can certainly be expanded. But do keep in mind that we wish for public transportation to be adopted massively, which could give rise to the slim possibility that we may overbuild the parking. Thus the car park needs to be a building flexible enough to be usable for other functions as well. In this particular design, a flexible column grid of 10X10 meters is adopted so that the car park can, if needed, be transformed into a bus parking or an office whenever asked to. Building Design Legislation Building design legislation would entail various norms and bye-laws applicable within the domain for a public building. This includes various safety and service standards. One of the major criterions would be to supply a place of assembly of all the people within the terminal at once, outside the building, to be used in case of activation of any evacuation protocol such as fire hazard or bomb threats. Another one demanding insulated and pressurized fire escape staircases and lobbies also aims for public safety in case of a mishap. Other such concerns demand for structural stability and light and ventilation to areas under use. Lastly, it has to be kept in mind that the proximity of the airport requires that the terminal may in no situation exceed its maximum height by more than 35 meters. Commercial Opportunity Aside from the offices that the terminal requires, wherever large numbers of people assemble, and particularly wait, they need catering and business facilities. If they have money to spend there will be any number of shopping opportunities. Such opportunities have to be taken care of at the terminal itself to increase earnings. The money from advertising alone would be staggering. Familiarity It will be the intent of design to be simplistic and yet create awe. While some may argue that the design should be “innovative” and “evolved”, the end user in this case does not have such evolved sensibilities. The average Indian has not been exposed much to the architecture beyond their borders. An “innovative” design will only confuse them. The design evolution of cars provides such an example. The first car looked more like a horse cart without the horses. In fact, many subsequent generations of the design took Sustainable Transport Strategies

Contemplating the Transport Hub

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this forward only because of image association with people. A radical design at that point would have confused the customers and resulted in less sale of that particular model, a fact which has been tested repeatedly. Thus, it is imperative that we consider the end user’s design sensibilities (or lack thereof) and proceed gradually towards a more refined aesthetic. We may have a lot of catching up to do with the world, but a radical progression towards an imposed sensibility would most likely be thrown out.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Contemplating the Transport Hub

Chapter 6

Final Designs

Chapter 6

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The final design layout enables all to reach the concourse level and then disperse to their respective modes of transportation. The concourse would, as such, play a pivotal role in the design manifestation of the entire design scheme. The hub caters to a rush hour crowd of about eighty thousand passengers among others.

Fig 6.1: Distribution of travellers

Space standards 7 have been adopted which dictate an area of 1.5 to 2 sqm per traveller. The distribution of areas split between different modes is given.

Fig 6.2: Area Division

7

Space standards provided in Annexure 1

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Final Designs

Chapter 6

Saluja│37

While adopting the policy of public transportation, we assume that only twenty one thousand passengers come by private vehicles and that only one tenth of those park their cars. In the probability that th policy does not fully succeed, the amount of private vehicles will compound many times. This has been taken into account and parking of 6000 cars has been designed for, with the flexibility of further expansion if needed. Of course, this capacity will be built in phases as and when the need arises. Cores are repeated at regular intervals forming their own grid. This facilitates not just vertical circulation and fire safety mechanisms but also provides a way for AC out valves and drainage shafts all tucked away in a neat rectangular form. This rectangular form and the grid derived from it, in turn, is made a subset of the column grid most prominently visible on the ground fllor of the scheme. This allows for the much needed modularity and scope for linear expansion if needed.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Final Designs

Bibliography

Saluja│39 Sources: 1. Census of India, 2001: http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/National_Summary/National_Sum mary_DataPage.aspx 2. "Vintage 2008 Population Estimates: Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions over 100,000". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 3. Arnet, O. and Brunner, A. (2002). Swiss bliss. Passenger Terminal World Annual Technology Showcase Issue 4. Wagner, T. (2003). Landside Accessibility Report. European Centre of Transport and Logistics, TU Hamburg-Harburg 5. London-luton.co.uk/pdf/download website (2003). Surface access strategy, July List of Figures Fig 0.1: Comparison of populations and densities. Fig 2.1: Government proposals of the region. Fig 2.2: Road infrastructure too weak in the region. Fig 2.3: Existing Site. Fig 3.1: Proposed freeways and Expressways. Fig 3.2: Pedestrian sectors with room for expansion of villages. Fig 3.3: Introduction of BRT and dedicated one way link. Fig 3.4: Introduction of grid and green corridors. Fig 3.5: Introduction of zoning. Fig 3.5: Proposed Plan. Fig 4.1: Zurich Airport: diagram of terminals based on Unique Airport website. Fig 4.2: Terminal 1 aerial view, inflexible but intended to multiply (Courtesy of Aeroports de Paris). Fig 4.3: Lyon St Exupéry Airport: aerial photomontage showing two terminals and TGV station (Courtesy of CRB Architectes and Scott Brownrigg Ltd). Fig 4.4: Luton Airport: map linking station and airport. Fig 5.1: Linearity of Transport Mechanisms. Fig 5.2: Vertical Separation and Overlaps. Fig 5.3: Modularity. Fig 5.4: Transparency and Way-finding. Fig 5.5: Parking Layout. Fig 6.1: Distribution of travelers. Fig 6.2: Area Division. Fig 6.3: Ground Level Plan. Fig 6.4: Concourse Level Plan. Fig 6.5: Arrival Level Plan. Fig 6.6: Sections.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Bibliography

Saluja│40 Annexure: Space Standards and Levels of Service

Other standards taken from Nueferts regarding Bus Stations, Railway Stations and Parking.

Sustainable Transport Strategies

Bibliography