The inspiring design of Princeton Station
By Pam Hersh
The community’s discussions about Princeton University’s Arts and Transit Center for the past several years have been intense (from polite passion to unfiltered hostility), incessant, and transit-focused on the movement of people and their vehicles. Talk and testimony centered around the Dinky train, buses, bikes, legs and feet required to walk that additional 400 feet, and of course, cars — dropping off and picking up, taxi fares, ingress, egress, traffic lights, traffic circles and parking.
I would like to move the conversation in a different direction now that the station is up and running. We need to put a big stop light on the tense transit talk and go forward with a discussion of the art — not the art of the future arts center, but rather the art of the current station construction.
First, there is the art of humor. I know of no other transit center in the world that invites a few giggles the way the Princeton Station does. We need a special wizard from Hogwarts to explain the meaning of things called a Dinky, a WaWa and a “kiss-and-ride” parking space all in one location. Former Princeton Borough Mayor Barbara Sigmund christened the commuter drop off spaces as “kiss-and-ride” and once commented to me that in some cases the spaces may be dubbed “no kiss, just get out of the car.”
But the characteristic of the transit center that inspires not “ha” or “Wa,” but rather “wow” is the design. Among the many noteworthy features are: the wood sculpted benches from the world-famous Nakashima design studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania; three-inch thick white oak window frame; blue stone plaza with large honey locust trees; large vertical windows; green roof atop the WaWa; and spacious public bathrooms with the same natural wood accents and lighting that makes me look several years younger than I am. Even if you have no reason to take the train or bus from the station, take the trip to the station, buy a hoagie at WaWa, use the bathroom, sit on a bench and just enjoy the place.
The Arts and Transit project is the creative work of the architecture firm Rick Joy Architects — a 14-person architecture and planning firm — whose principal Rick Joy is the recipient of the 2002 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Architecture and the National Design Award from the Smithsonian Institute/Cooper-Hewitt Museum. The Arts and Transit project architect from the firm is Matt Luck, whose work is guided by his core belief that the act “of design is an endeavor to reveal the elusive, dreamlike artifacts of memory that give us place… a connection to place (that) brings a more meaningful understanding of self and ultimately of moral purpose.”
I do not know if I can relate to such lofty principles as I stand at the station and curse at the Dinky, whose schedule still is out of sync with trains traveling south on the Northeast Corridor. However, my frustration over the Dinky schedule the next time I go to Philly by train definitely will be mitigated by the station’s ambiance.
Feeling as though I were interacting with a Museum of Modern Art sculpture, I sat on the Nakashima bench, rubbed my hands over the black walnut wood, breathed in the wood fragrance and talked to the project architect on my cell phone last Thursday afternoon. I looked through the long windows framed in custom white oak, the same trim used in the university’s gothic buildings and a wood that is known as the gold standard in sustainability.
Mr. Luck explained how his firm wanted to do more than design a building. “We wanted to create a space that responded to the issues raised by the community and a space that would serve to be the university’s and the community’s front porch on Alexander Road,” he said.
“A generous bluestone arrival plaza,” Mr. Luck continued, “is bolstered to the south by the dark steel convenience store (WaWa) and defined at the north side by the pristine and iconic Transit Hall… (an) entry that heightens the expectation of creative excellence and celebrates the life and activity found in this thriving space.
He added that the transit hall’s “pillars gradually slope up to their final apex at the highly visible northwest corner of the plaza, providing an outstanding presence on the site. In this way, the structure finds spatial camaraderie with the vertical Collegiate Gothic style of architecture that has distinguished Princeton University’s campus.” Mr. Luck explained how the station building was specially positioned and elevated so that it would be clearly visible from Blair Walk as you approach the station from the main campus. Thus, when construction is completed, the path to the station will be a visually and physically unimpeded.
Although WaWa designed its interior space, Rick Joy Architects was tasked to design the bathrooms, the façade materials and the roof, which includes a skylight and a green roof with natural plantings. The intensive green roof system is slated to be used for academic research at the university.
As far as I can tell, the project from a design point of view only has two flaws. The green roof should have a second function of growing wild flowers to be sold at the WaWa with labels telling the customers the source of the flowers. The second suggestion will be a little harder to implement. The lighting in the women’s bathroom ,which does such a great job of camouflaging my dark circles and wrinkles, should be installed throughout the station area — for those romantic dinners at the WaWa or at the Mira Nakashima platform bench.