The new Gateway Transportation Center in downtown St. Louis combines Amtrak, Greyhound, and MetroLink train services into one 35,700-square-foot building which had to be worked into an oddly shaped site underneath-and around the support columns of-the Interstate 64 overpasses (at bottom).
Site Plan
A 1984 mural by artist Richard Haas on the nearby Sheraton St. Louis City Center hotel overlooks the Gateway Transportation Center's north wing, which incorporates 10 canopied bays for Greyhound buses. The exterior is clad in zinc panels from Rheinzink, which can withstand the grit and chemicals that the highway overhead will shed onto the building.
On the opposite side of the building from the Greyhound bus bays are the tracks for MetroLink, St. Louis' light-rail transit system. Color laminated films on 2-inch-thick insulated glass units from Alpen Energy Group-which are used throughout the project-play well against the interlocking zinc wall panels and add a bit of whimsy to the fa??ade. The insulated glass helps keep out noise from trains, buses, and the overpasses.
A skywalk on the building's southern end snakes up and over the Amtrak train tracks. Enclosed staircases lead passengers down to the platforms.
The clerestory-lit ticketing hall is a simple but resilient interior with durable Nora rubber floor tiles that will withstand high traffic. Combining Greyhound, Amtrak, and MetroLink into one complex streamlines transit operations for downtown St. Louis, but will mean intense wear and tear on the building itself.
