ISSU portfolio

T R A I N
S T A T I O N
The objective of this project was to create a train station in the city of Pueblo, Colorado that would not
only replace the historic Pueblo Union Depot, damaged beyond repair in the Pueblo Flood of 1921, but
also serve as a hub for the community. I decided that I would keep both of these factors in mind when
creating my proposal and really wanted to find a way to both physically and symbolically connect the
Arkansas River (the catalyst in the Pueblo Flood of 1921) to downtown Pueblo.
I decided that the simplest way to achieve this would be to model my building after a traditional truss
bridge, notorious for helping to expand the rail system in the United States. This form proved to be
beneficial in that it allowed for easy circulation from the street to the second track, which according to
the brief could only be accessed from above or below, via tunnel.
One of the other interesting design choices I made was adding a shallow reflecting pool below the
upper portion of the building and underneath part of the program on the first floor. I made this choice in
hopes of reinforcing the symbolism of the bridge as well as creating a source of passive cooling through
the use of evaporative cooling. I chose to designate the area surrounding this water feature as retail
space in the form of light weight booths that can be occupied seasonally by local vendors.