Temporary WTC Path Station
Agency
Pentagram
Practice Area
Client
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Industry
Project Vision
Pentagram created a comprehensive program of wayfinding and environmental graphics for the temporary PATH station at the former site of the World Trade Center. The station is designed as a stopgap until the new transportation center is completed in 2008. Because the station was deliberately designed to be temporary, the architecture is expeditious, open-air, and impermanent. The building is not air conditioned or heated, and looks directly into the Ground Zero site. Memorable quotes about the city have been enlarged and run on white scrims around the station perimeter, while interior walls have been covered with maps and overhead views of lower Manhattan. The graphics deftly acknowledge the city’s resilience, encouraging a sense of civic pride by showcasing the city that is like no other in the world.
Project Details
This environmental graphics program uses simple, inexpensive materials and bold graphics to complement the temporary nature of the station itself. The wayfinding signage is simple and bold, easily accommodating the thousands of commuters and tourists using the station each day. The bold graphics acknowledge the patriotism of the time while providing a lesson in the history of lower Manhattan, its relationship to the sea, and its unique position in rebuilding the spirit of the city and the nation in the wake of one of our greatest tragedies. The strength of this design is that it acknowledges the pain without ever being maudlin. It is heroic in its use of images and color and reflects the heroism of the city and its people. Lastly, the transparency of the word screen reflects the transparency of vision and memory that are so important to understanding what happened here and what the future may bring.
Design Team
Michael Gericke (Principal in Charge), Don Bilodeau
Design Firm
Pentagram
Consultants
Domingo Gonzalez (lighting)
Fabricators
Duggal, VGS