IBI Group-Designed Confederation Line LRT Downtown Tunnel Opens to Public
Date
October 7, 2019
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– Global design and technology firm designs underground segment of Ottawa’s largest infrastructure project –
TORONTO, ON (October 7, 2019) – Global design and technology firm, IBI Group (TSX:IBG), completed the station design of the downtown tunnel portion of Ottawa’s Confederation Line – a 13-station, 12.5km light rail transit line with a 2.5km underground segment beneath the city center – which is now open to the public. As part of the Rideau Transit Group consortium, IBI Group led the design of the three underground stations – Lyon, Parliament and Rideau – creating iconic facilities that offer spacious and elegant designs with convenient passenger flow systems. This $2.1B, world-class transit system represents the largest infrastructure project in Ottawa’s history and is set to transform how people travel throughout the nation’s capital.
“One of the challenges of designing underground transit stations is establishing a design that doesn’t feel like it’s underground. We wanted to create a lot of transparency within the station, focusing on a neutral palette to help bring more light into the space,” said IBI Group Transit Architecture Director, Charlie Hoang. “You also won’t see a lot of obstructions throughout our stations. When going down to platform level you will see a nice wide path to the concourse, then the stairwells, escalators and elevators. Our main goal is always to try to open that up if possible.”
The IBI design team selected a neutral material palette, consisting of white, cream and light grey tones accented with stainless steel and glass to help bring more light into the space. This natural light and transparency also allows for increased security and safety for transit users. Essential to any underground transit station, functional layout techniques were integrated within the design which allow for the maximization of intuitive wayfinding, limiting the need for additional signage to guide users. Constructed with an entirely mined cavern, Rideau Station specifically boasts a central, double-height space, with Canada’s longest escalator at 35.3m long moving passengers into and out of the concourse.
IBI Group worked in collaboration with world-class artists and the O-Train Public Art Program to establish a unique identity for each station. At Lyon Station, Calgary-based artist, Geoff McFetridge, used the broad theme of how humans relate to one another to create multiple murals throughout the station that speak to the diversity, collaboration and communal aspects of city living in his artwork entitled This Image Relies on Positive Thinking. Vancouver-based artist and author, Douglas Coupland, produced a suspended sculpture titled Lone Pine Sunset at Parliament Station, reinterpreting the work of Canadian Group of Seven painter Tom Thomson’s, ‘The Jack Pine’. At Rideau Station, Montreal-based artist, Geneviève Cadieux, utilized two large glass walls to support her work, FLOW / FLOTS. FLOW / FLOTS includes black and white imagery of rippling water, accompanied by metallic accents, between layers of glass, representing Canada’s northern beauty and the Station’s proximity to the Canal.
IBI Group has a rich history designing award-winning transit facilities and infrastructure across the globe. Notable projects include: Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension, Mississauga Bus Rapid Transitway, Edmonton Valley Line LRT and the Tel Aviv LRT Red Line.
For more information or to connect with an IBI Group professional, please contact Julia Harper at julia.harper@hzpshiyong.com or 647-330-4706.
