An award-winning unchosen design for SkyTrain Capstan Station (RENDERINGS)

Dec 17 2022, 4:47 am

Imagine an elevated station on the Canada Line with an expansive glass roof running down the length of its spine above the tracks.

It evolves the design established by the Canada Line’s other No. 3 Road stations within Richmond — Aberdeen Station, Lansdowne Station, and Richmond-Brighouse Station — by incorporating an interlacing structural frame extending out of the wood-panelled canopies directly above the platform to provide the web for the glass roof.

This was an alternate design for the new additional Capstan Station on the Canada Line, currently under construction. The Vancouver office of architectural firm Perkins&Will designed this concept for its bid to TransLink to design the station, but the public transit authority ultimately selected a design by Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers (OMB).

Perkins&Will’s concept was designed as a modular kit-of parts to assemble the station around the elevated concrete guideway, and reduce the complexities of adding a station to an active train line. Off-site prefabrication of the station structure components would reduce disruptions to Canada Line service.

Moreover, this design allows the entire station structure to remain separate from the existing guideway.

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Unchosen design for SkyTrain Canada Line’s Capstan Station by Perkins&Will. (Perkins&Will)

capstan station design perkins&will canada line

Unchosen design for SkyTrain Canada Line’s Capstan Station by Perkins&Will. (Perkins&Will)

Although Perkins&Will’s design was not chosen, it still won accolades, including the “Unbuilt Award” from the Architecture Foundation of British Columbia’s 2021 Architectural Awards of Excellence, and an “Honourable Mention” from the American Institute of Architect’s Canada Society’s 2021 design awards.

Perkins&Will also designed Aberdeen, Lansdowne, and Richmond-Brighouse stations, as well as Lincoln and Burquitlam stations on the Millennium Line’s Evergreen Extension, Brentwood Town Centre Station on the original Millennium Line span, and stations for Montreal’s new REM train system currently under construction.

Perkins&Will: unselected design for Capstan Station

capstan station design perkins&will canada line

Unchosen design for SkyTrain Canada Line’s Capstan Station by Perkins&Will. (Perkins&Will)

OMB: selected design for Capstan Station

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Artistic rendering of Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers/TransLink)

The chosen Capstan Station design by Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers is also modular in its own way with the use of prefabricated hybrid steel and mass timber components.

Along with a more architecturally bold design compared to existing Canada Line stations, the selected concept also features functional improvements, including floor-to-ceiling glass walls for enhanced weather protection, platforms with a longer length of 52.5 metres and a wider width for waiting areas, larger interior spaces for passengers to move around, a larger ticketing concourse, combined fare gate areas for accessing both platforms instead of two separate areas, both up and down escalators in addition to staircases, and retail space.

Perkins&Will: unselected design for Capstan Station

capstan station design perkins&will canada line

Unchosen design for SkyTrain Canada Line’s Capstan Station by Perkins&Will. (Perkins&Will)

OMB: selected design for Capstan Station

capstan station skytrain canada line

Artistic rendering of Capstan Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects & Designers/TransLink)

Construction on Capstan Station first began in September 2021, and the most recent update by TransLink indicates it is on track to open in 2023 — although possibly not necessarily early next year as originally indicated, and given the visual progress.

Throughout the year, there have been numerous planned service disruptions to the Richmond segment of the Canada Line to accommodate Capstan Station construction involving using a crane to lift components of the structure into place.

The station’s cost is $52 million, with $20 million contributed by TransLink, and $32 million from the City of Richmond’s revenues collected from Capstan Village condominium developers. This is the first development-driven and funded partnership in TransLink’s history.

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November 2022 construction progress on SkyTrain Capstan Station. (TransLink)

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