U District Station

This 73,400-square foot cut-and-cover transit station on the Sound Transit North Link has its loading platform 80 feet underground. Accessed by stairs, escalator, and elevator, the site demands easy-to-follow ingress, egress, and life-safety systems. The lead architect, LMN, asked Tiscareno Associates to consolidate all communication and life-safety systems into one simple, good-looking, wayfinding element that smoothly directs riders between street and platform during daily use, and alerts and guides them during emergency situations. The firm’s innovative solution to this design challenge is an overhead zigzag called the armature.

Made of lightweight aluminum and color-coded for north- and southbound wayfinding, the armature cleverly integrates lighting and speakers to guide passengers to their platforms, as well as alarms, strobes, and other life-saving devices that instruct them during a fire, police, or other emergencies. The special lighting, which works even during a blackout, required finding and working closely with a lighting manufacturer in New York.

In addition to serving as electrical and systems design liaison between LMN and electrical contractor consultants, Tiscareno assisted LMN’s team with construction documents, quality control, and some general architectural detailing. These included coordinating the finishes within the larger architectural design concept, coordinating elevator and escalator design, and helping with energy code compliance.