Huntsville Transit Station receives Top Block Award

The city of Huntsville’s Transit Transfer Station, designed by Fuqua and Partner Architects, recently received the Alabama Concrete Association’s Top Block Award which recognizes the use of concrete block in building projects. The firm started working on the project in August 2021, with construction beginning in September 2022 and then completed in July 2024.

The transit station includes 14 bus bays and serves as a hub for all transit lines in the city. A soaring cantilevered canopy covers the bus bays and directs all rainwater into a central raingarden located on axis with the ticketing office. All bus traffic areas are constructed of 8” thick heavy duty concrete paving for long term durability. Concrete sidewalks were built under the canopies detailed with scoring patterns that reinforce the angled steel structure of the bus canopy.

“During the design process we began to think about imagery that expressed speed and efficiency,” explains Les Tillery, the lead architect with the firm. “We also needed to create a landmark for Huntsville that spoke to the permanence and functionality of the city’s transit system all while elevating the entire experience of public transit.”

One of the goals of the design was to develop a strategy to cover the bus bays, but to avoid having to deal with a lot of rainwater runoff on the driving areas and on the buses as they pulled under the canopies. By inverting the canopies so that water would be directed toward a rain garden that runs the length of the station, they were able to create a feature that is a sustainable way to handle rainwater runoff and provided a landscaped area for passenger waiting. The inverted canopies also mimic wings, which, while not exactly reminiscent of bus transportation, do relate back to speed and efficiency of different modes of travel.

Ground face masonry units were used at the base of the ticketing building because they provided the desired aesthetic while also being very durable and affordable. Also, conventional CMU was used at the dumpster enclosure. However, most of the concrete product used on this project was cast-in-place for the heavy duty paving at the bus drive aisles. HD Concrete paving was chosen on this project for long term durability, stability, and ability to handle grease/oils/fuels that leak from buses from time to time.

“Our favorite design aspect of the building is the canopy structure itself,” said Tillery. “This structure provides an iconic landmark that represents the future of Huntsville’s public transit system as a forward thinking, modern and efficient mode of transportation.”