By Ernie Boughman, Columbia, South Carolina 1-803-227-3400, Boughman@pbworld.com

One of PB’s strengths is its ability to provide clients with comprehensive services that tap the talent of its personnel throughout the U.S. and the world. In some instances, however, distance does make a difference in the preservation of schedule and budget. It is in these instances that we need to tap into our ingenuity and develop new and innovative methods for bridging the gap between local presence and a global team effort.

Such was the case on a pr oject undertaken for th e New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA). As a subcontractor, we were retained to assist in evaluating alternatives for the relocation of main-line toll barrier facilities at Williamsville, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. The project involved preparation, presentation, and acceptance of a design report/environmental impact statement (DR/EIS). PB was responsible for toll plaza development, economic analyses, geotechnical evaluations and visual impact assessment.

Conceptual Architectural Design

A major element of the project was the conceptual architectural design of plaza components, including the tollbooths, operations building and support building. From the outset, NYSTA wanted a design that let its employees move freely and safely between the operations and support buildings and the individual tollbooths. Under current conditions, they have to walk across travel lanes to access tollbooths, resulting in pedestrian/vehicular conflicts and serious safety issues. NYSTA also wanted the architecture of the facility to be economically responsible yet fully integrated with the various functional requirements and to present a true “building” form on the horizon for approaching motorists.

Based on our interviews with NYSTA operations personnel, we undertook a basic “bubble” diagram exercise that explored necessary functional adjacencies and separations (e.g., lockers, showers, and break room functions should be located next to one another, but visitors’ lobby and cash handling areas should be separated). From this diagram, we developed a fundamental floor plan that addressed functionality but not architectural character. Once NYSTA personnel approved the basic floor plan, formal design development commenced.

A Design Development Dilemma

Two concepts were developed for providing direct access to each tollbooth—overhead access via a bridge structure and underground access through a tunnel. NYSTA wanted to explore both concepts throughout design development and asked that each be developed in standard two-dimensional (2D) drawings (e.g., plans, sections, elevations, etc.) and in three dimensions (3D) with evolving iterations. The scope and budget for this phase of the project covered only modeling of the final toll barrier design, however, and not numerous modeling efforts throughout design development.

PB’s Company 39, located in Denver, Colorado, had been asked to provide 3D modeling, photo simulations and animation that would be required for the project’s visual impact assessment and public involvement activities. Enlisting them to provide multiple concepts throughout design development would make timely design evolution extremely difficult. Under such a scenario, each design iteration would begin with a 2D design being produced in Buffalo. Those drawings would be forwarded to Denver where the 3D modeling effort would occur. Next the 3D model would be submitted to Buffalo staff to review and present to the client. If the client had comments, these would be sent back to Denver, and then this same design/review cycle would begin again.

Figure 1: Wire-frame AutoCAD model.

Figure 2: Mid-level rendrindg of toll plaza.

Figure 3: Cross section of toll booth .

Figure 4: High-level photo simulation of toll plaza.

Our staff in Buffalo deliberated about how to meet NYSTA’s request while avoiding such a convoluted process. After much brainstorming, a new idea was entertained. “Would it be possible for local staff to develop “mid-level” 3D models in AutoCAD that could evolve with client direction throughout the design devel opment process, and then to transfer the mid-level model to Company 39 when a “final” design emerged for use in high-level simulations and animation?” After a flurry of telephone calls and e-mails between the Buffalo and Denver offices we concluded that, indeed, the concept of local, mid-level 3D design development could be transferred virtually seamlessly to the final high-level simulations and animation.

Implementing the Solution

Our Buffalo staff built a basic “wire frame” AutoCAD model for the bridge-access and tunnel-access alternatives (Figure 1) and rendered designs using the standard capabilities of the AutoCAD platform (Figure 2). This method produced visuals that were less than realistic, even “cartoony” in nature, but well in keeping with the intentions of design development. These models could be updated quickly and new rendered visuals were possible within minutes, allowing the design team to reach decisions confidently, efficiently, and affordably. Through this mid-level 3D modeling exercise, it was decided that the bridge access design would be carried through to alternatives analysis in the EIS.

Next, more detailed 2D drawings were created to flesh out components of the design (Figure 3). The design of the bridge structure itself and its link with the individual tollbooths had been laid out in concept during initial design development, but ensuring that this basic concept truly “worked” proved to be one of the more challenging aspects of the design. Connections to individual tollbooths were made through staircases that descended from the bridge structure directly into each booth. The bridge structure also served as a chase for electrical and mechanical components and as an access point for maintenance of electronic toll collection equipment.

In the final design, the bridge was hidden for much of its length within the roof structure of the operations and support buildings. This approach assisted in taking away some of the horizontal character of the facility. With this same goal in mind, designers gave a “nod” to Italianate architecture, which is traditional in western New York, by incorporating hip roofs, tall, narrow windows, and widely overhanging eaves. Specific to this Italianate gesture are the tollbooths, which were designed to look more like towers by breaking the roof structure with dormers. The dormers also s erved to illuminate the overhead access area with natural lighting. As a result, the inherently linear, static appearance of the tollbooth structure and bridge was successfully accentuated by the vertical lines of the tower structures and dormers.

Simultaneous with drafting additional 2D drawings to solidify the design of the toll plaza, the wire frame 3D model was updated to reflect the design changes. Once it was complete, it was transferred to Company 39 for integration into photo simulations and computer animation. Within weeks, Company 39 produced vivid, photo-realistic simulations that were invaluable in helping the general public and other stakeholders to visualize the final product (Figure 4). In addition, these simulations were used in the visual impact assessment for the EIS.

Successful Outcome