TRANSIT SHELTERS

Millard + Associates Architects LLC was part of a design/build team chosen by the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Transit Department to design and construct transit shelters throughout the Ketchikan area that would serve residents and visitors alike. The goal of the project was to create several proto-type shelters that could be used on a variety of sites that reflect the community’s unique heritage using local design talents, skilled labor, and local materials in a sustainable way.

For the design, Millard + Associates Architects worked closely with the team and owner on sustainable design issues to create a flexible design with repeating elements that could be assembled off-site, then trucked to the site and erected.

The resulting design was a post and beam structure of yellow cedar – a wood that is both structural and decay resistant. With both urban and rural sites, there was a need for designs that could adapt to a narrow sidewalk site, shopping center parking lot, or a wooded area along the highway. For downtown sites, an open marquee form was used with double vertical posts supporting a cantilevered cover. For larger and rural sites, a gable or hipped roof shelter with a mix of open and enclosed walls was developed. All components of the shelters are flexible by using standardized design details and panel sizes that allow the shelters to increase in size as needed for the site.

The project won an American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Design Excellence in 2014.