Dattner Architects

The Number 7 subway extension connects the new Hudson Yards neighborhood on Manhattan’s far west side with transportation hubs at Times Square and Grand Central Station. The first addition to the city subway system in over 25 years, the design incorporates 21st-century levels of safety, comfort, and convenience. A technically complex project, the new line threads itself below the Lincoln Tunnel, Penn Station rail yards, and other subterranean infrastructure. Thousands of daily riders are whisked to the surface on escalators or inclined elevators from one of the deepest rail platforms in New York.

This major infrastructure upgrade was the catalyst for the development of new commercial, cultural, and residential construction in a once industrial neighborhood, and exemplifies how modern transit facilities can be functional, beautiful, and integrated into the fabric of the communities they serve.

The station’s design offers subtle cues to keep circulation flowing through the intermediate space of the column-free lower mezzanine. Acting as an arrow, large porcelain tiles were cut vertically and horizontally to create longer horizontal rectangles that line the mezzanine. High ceilings over stair landings draw visitors upward. The station’s walls and mezzanine ceiling are made of removable panels—helping to aid in maintenance over time.