A new image for transit
Downtown Charleston isn't exactly known for cutting-edge architecture, but something new going up at King and Calhoun streets provides a glimpse of what the city's been missing out on.
It's not a building but an exhibition -- soon to be hung in the vacant windows of what was the Millennium Music store.
These are 10 architectural proposals for a new transit hub to be built on the surface parking lot at Meeting and John streets, next to the Charleston Visitor Center.
Before anyone gets their blood pressure up, it's important to note this isn't a real project --the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority actually is focusing its energy on a new transit hub off Montague Avenue in North Charleston.
Instead, it's an imaginary exercise created by the Charleston chapter of Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit that searches for design solutions to humanitarian crises and that provides free design services to worthy causes.
Steve Ramos, an architect with LS3P and a chapter leader, says his group began by asking other local nonprofits what was missing in Charleston.
After that, it came up with the idea of holding a design competition for a new 50,000-square-foot transit hub with offices, retail, meeting and green spaces and the ability to serve rail, buses and bikes.
"One of our struggles as a new nonprofit is finding work to do," Ramos says. "Rather than wait for the perfect client to find us, we wanted to become a think-tank to influence bigger ideas, like transit in this case."
The competition went viral, with 135 design teams expressing interest and 66 submitting entries from six continents.
The overall winner got $1,250; with $500 and $250 for second and third place, respectively.
"The beauty of these competitions is you can make choices unhindered by costs or practicality," Ramos says.
The winning entry, from Tonic Design of Raleigh, is entitled "Mind the Garden," and it would aim to create a vibrant city space not by making a monumental building -- like most train stations of the past -- but an urban garden that commuters and city dwellers could use.
Second place, from a group of young architects and interns from Durham, N.C., suggests making the terminal a front porch for the city, blurring the spaces between the building, exterior site and surrounding neighborhood.
Third place was a submission from Syracuse University students that suggested a terminal created out of several parallel, alley-like spaces that would undulate just off Meeting Street.
"The jury was really drawn to the big ideas," Ramos says. "With some of these proposals, you could argue if there's even much architecture there."
One of the most feasible is a classical design submitted by Historical Concepts of Atlanta. "This one stood out not just among the classical solutions," Ramos says. "They're just beautiful drawings."
The several honorable mentions also include a few whacky ones, such as a concept in which rail stations and drains would form a related infrastructure in 2190, when the city may be permanently flooded at high tide.
"The beauty of this competition is people can really dream," Ramos says. "That can be one of the frustrations of working architects here."
"We want people in Charleston to see this stuff - and think about it."
Robert Behre may be reached at 937-5771 or by fax at 937-5579. His e-mail address is rbehre@postandcourier.com, and his mailing address is 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.
