One of the fastest growing counties in Pennsylvania, Butler County needed to address the travel and commuting challenges of its many citizens. We collaborated with the Butler Transit Authority to design an intermodal transit center to increase mobility options for its residents. The center is located on a brownfield site that has been home to both the Standard Steel Car Company and Pullman-Standard, creating modern solutions out of the county’s industrial history.
The Butler County intermodal transit center’s design not only increases mobility options, but also reduces utility costs and carbon dioxide emissions.
The center will consist of a new administrative office building, as well as a bus maintenance and storage facility. As a key transit point to Pittsburgh, it will provide a local transfer station for the current fixed-route and shared-ride transit systems, pedestrian and bicycle access, a taxi port, and a park-and-ride lot. The use of interactive, 3D design software helped incorporate public safety—separating buses from other vehicles, making walkway improvements that eliminate the need for riders to cross bus paths, and creating a designated taxi lane.
The facility will also include several Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design elements, such as an ENERGY STAR-compliant roof color; consistency in light fixtures; radiant under-floor heating in the maintenance area; motion sensors on lights, toilets, and faucets; and the addition of new green space over previously impervious concrete. This building will be heated and cooled by a new geothermal system, which will reduce utility costs by 50 percent and eliminate approximately 80 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
We supported Butler Transit Authority’s recent application for a Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) grant for a 2,000-square-foot addition for a passenger waiting area, training room, and 100-space park and ride facility. If successful, the TIGGER funds will be used to design and construct energy efficient upgrades, including a photovaltaic system and a geothermal heating and cooling system to offset the addition's power usage on an annual basis.
