Underline Canopy
Entry for 2015 Royal Society of Arts (U.S.) Student Design Competition
The Underline Canopy is a proposal to transform Miami’s Metro Rail stations and the underutilized urban spaces beneath. We envisioned a connected system of intermodal transit hubs that provide a variety of sustainable transportation options. A series of canopy structures shelter each station while funneling stormwater into a wetland filtration system to treat and buffer runoffs. The once neglected spaces underneath is revitalized into public parks, dotted with amenities for leisure and social interactions.
Program: multi-modal transit stations
Team: Kyle Stuart-Willis, Vincent Mai
Role: site analysis, concept development, schematic design, design development, modeling, computational design, design visualization
Date: 2015
Location: Miami, FL, USA
Award: Royal Society of Arts Sustainable Design Practice Award
Special thanks to Karen Williams and Pivot Architecture for their review, and Idil Gumruk for assisting us in rendering.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b62b203ea355a6520c471e95ed958a07460915159b0e67c1d371b4f01e4ed579/Underline-Canopy_c1.gif)
The proposed station renovation interfaces sustainable transportation,
stormwater management, and revitalization of public spaces.
stormwater management, and revitalization of public spaces.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/04e6b9e6e2540472f14c67955a38d6bc1c752f0c5324c72d3600546fa5510604/Underline-Canopy_b1.jpg)
Miami’s urban challenges lie in a nexus of
hydrology, ecology, transportation and urban planning
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7abc72ec8aee4366378ed167031983fee6dbe346806418606ea630fbe80a8813/Underline-Canopy_b2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/147d38cb7518cb7b92e277d1861f3332d1129ac3329befe8fb888529068f6751/Underline-Canopy_b0.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a158451a23bae23d505451c519c7d2466957ae2ad4f6f185b455d2253389fbed/Underline-Canopy_c3.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2cc63f372b1d4637be914f7b77fd7d4b62f2bebe25a11ea855dd0d9a4d8850b5/Underline-Canopy_b3.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7c098aac230840f4e168a0410f44080a7a4c40f6ed35fe1cf369ed312032fab9/Underline-Canopy_b4.jpg)
Underutilized space benethe the Miami’s Metro Rail.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2ea8b5563d1d12c40599900b0c6e1cdb63f3fe7ca288ddc88d133d90b8d97968/Underline-Canopy_r1.jpg)
Proposed intermodal transit station
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/449f25d73394d351255f17aacdc8e8f9bbecf1ce291af1592ac28e0e4fa85219/Underline-Canopy_c4.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6685b464d288cc7a067e75ca7316f25443b79e704a9b12c03b81652b36c8931a/Underline-Canopy_r3.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/77340c87f798b2ff835fd78c86d5d9861d42e4ad0cdd52b45d6d21889dcefb22/Underline-Canopy_r2.jpg)
An integral part of Miami’s vibrant public space.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/95570855405964f7a9c48dc4e43ddf546f296e2e7c88f1bd0620ae6b9167cb85/Underline-Canopy_d1.jpg)
Site / Floor Plans
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1ce5da6ff0affcf8ba3c80895c3205450f2591b04c74012c04341574a0a08d88/Underline-Canopy_r4.jpg)
The canopies filter and direct sunlight down to the mezzanine level
while celebrating proactive stormwater catchment.
while celebrating proactive stormwater catchment.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b6e951eae054578bb1a42e90ca11fa53125f80d8830ce407efcedd3de4763cc3/Underline-Canopy_r5.jpg)
On the platform level, the canopies shelter commuters from
Miami’s tropical sun and rain.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7bc779cdaa3747355355960b3b9082fb24b0739e812ef0aa67f11d8a671c2982/Underline-Canopy_d2.jpg)
Custom planning tool optimizes the distribution of neighborhoodscale transit hubs. The computation accounts for existing transit networks, population density, and contaminated urban sites.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/602317d5e8d4d9cb21575429da1242708af0b70b21024a19c3c431eb7aa23c0c/Underline-Canopy_d3.jpg)
These smaller intermodal hubs bridge the gap between transit corridors and neighborhood transit demand while promoting distributed stormwater and remediation treatment.