Profound New Designs Imagine Penn Station As The Building Of The Future

While New York's Penn Station certainly doesn't look like a modern building now, it soon could be the building of the future.

The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), a non-profit that promotes intelligent urban design, asked a number of design studios to visualize and create a new Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.
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The busiest train station in North America, the current Penn Station structure was constructed in the early 1960s, with renovations to that design occurring every decade or so from then on. Even with these changes, Penn Station has struggled to keep up with its 640,000 daily passengers.

Our favorite design, by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)--the firm that designed One World Trade Center and the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building in Dubai)--has taken the incredible amount of passenger traffic into account. The plan expands Penn Station two blocks, adding high-speed rail and direct routes to the three major airports. The latter allows a traveler to go through security at Penn Station and then take the train directly to their gate.

"What we propose creates a civic heart for Midtown West – one that is truly public and open to all – while allowing New York City to maintain its position as a global center of commerce, industry and culture," said Roger Duffy, the design partner responsible for the MOS idea. "A dignified gateway to one of the world's greatest cities."

Design firms H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture and Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, and SHoP Architects also created designs, included in the gallery above.

[Source: MAS via The Verge]

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