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The opening of the new 22.5 million dollar Rosa Parks Transit Center in Detroit on July 13, 2009 unveiled a modern transit hub for bus riders in the Motor City. This prominent component in the downtown revitalization was funded through state and federal grants.
The Transit Center has become the new central terminal for the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and features a 25,700 sq. ft. building with retail space, indoor passenger waiting areas (with real-time arrival and departure information) and round-the-clock security. The eye-caching outside displays a 64,000 sq. ft. custom tensile structure made of Teflon-coated fiberglass (PTFE) fabric. The mast-supported structure consists of seven A-frames, 96 feet tall and 60 feet wide at the base. Each one weighs in at over 36,000 pounds. There are also eight 26-ft. tall trusses, 116-ft. long and weighing over 28,000 pounds. The structure incorporates 12,000 feet of steel cable. The unusual structure is aesthetically appealing, but practical for shade and weather protection. It also has green features: catch basins at various points on the low rings of the structure where rainwater is collected and ultimately reused for irrigation. The translucent PTFE fabric also eliminates the need for artificial light during the day, notes Nic Goldsmith, senior principal of FTL Design Engineering Studio, which provided preliminary engineering and design. Other key players on the project included Parsons Brinkerhoff, a leader in planning, designing, engineering and construction management. Also on board was Detroit-based general contractor DeMaria Building Co. FabriTec Structures was responsible for the final engineering and construction of the massive outdoor tensile fabric structure.
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